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COEfflUGHT DEPOSIT. 



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THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 
MEDIUMSHIP 

(TWO WORLDS IN ONE) 



.-■•*'" 



H. SCHEUING 



"Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall 
find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. For 
every one that asked receiveth, and he that seeketh 
findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. ' ' 
— (Matth., ch. 7, v. 7-8). 



Columbus, Ohio 
The F. J. Heer Printing Co. 

1923 



4% 



Copyright, 1923 
H. Scheuing 



Price $2.50 
JUL 20 *23 



C1A753585 
/ 



FOREWORD 



The issue "Psychology of Mediumship" was written 
for the purpose of correcting the gross errors which exist 
in the ranks of the Spiritualists and among a great number 
of people who became interested in Spiritualism. The con- 
tents of the issue are based upon the result of the writer's 
studies and experiences, who, having beeen a Materialist, 
became a Psychic while investigating the claims made by 
the Spiritists. 

Having gone through all the dangers involved, conse- 
quently come personally in contact with "Elementary and 
Spiritual Egos", the study of their thoughts and actions, 
w T hile not always a pleasant one, enabled him to bring before 
the public a Truth which, while perhaps distasteful to an 
Orthodox Clergy, will be quite more distasteful to the Pro- 
fessional Mediums and their Converts ; nevertheless, anyone 
desiring a direct knowledge in regard to that which is com- 
monly called "Spiritualism" will be able to prove to himself 
the Truth contained herein by simply investigating the 
claims made, an investigation which must be made without 
the help of mediums. 

The book itself was not written for the purpose of in- 
spiring the reader to become a medium, on the contrary, it 
is published for the purpose of proclaiming facts and to dis- 
courage the desire to become a medium, pointing out the 
dangers involved, but giving at the same time the best 
knowledge possible regarding Mediumship, its misuse and 

the consequences thereof. ^ . 

1 The Author. 

(3) 



INDEX 

PAGE 

Immortality 7-19 

What is the Soul? 19-31 

Mediumship 32-66 

Psychology of Mediumship 66-98 

Colors of Aura 32-47, 62-78 

Anatomy of Anima 49-51 

Reconstruction of Anima 52-58 

Vibrations, Colors of Earthsphere 60-62 

Obsessions and Possessions 72-76 

Soul-Lights 78-80 

Incarnation and Reincarnation 84 

Spirit Photography 98-101 

Ectoplasm, Externalization 101-109 

Dr. Hyslop's Test 111-119 

Personal Experiences 119-142 

(5) 



IMMORTALITY 

In the common every day life we frequently noted 
the absolute absence of Pure Reasoning, for the average 
mortal, no matter how educated he may be, always falls 
back upon the innate sin of adhering rather to customs than 
to make use of experiences and so, while custom and ex- 
perience are relative in a way, man is — generally speaking 
— but a well trained monkey and in some cases even below 
the Order of Primates, which means : Man is too crude to 
understand himself. 

Man is an animal, differentiating himself from the 
mere animals chiefly in this that he thinks w T rong and in 
finding delight to make himself believe that he is 'God-like', 
denying himself at the same time the right to become in re- 
ality the Exalted Being he so soberly boasts to be. 

Through thousands of years man practised the custom 
of adhering to Beliefs which, handed down through gen- 
erations, became to him a matter too sacred to reason about 
and with all human contrariness he found himself obliged 
to allow- — as of old — these Beliefs expounded to him by 
men who, wellmeaning and honest, either studied a creed 
under the most obscure Theologians or who, reasoning for 
themselves, discarding the orthodox ideas exchanged these 
for more rational ideas and thereby started a New Ortho- 
doxy which is in its Fundamentals as erroneous as the 
other. 

Of course to those who do not believe in the existence 
of the soul the Wise Men of their assembly laid down as 
iron-clad ideas regarding the impossibility of the soul as 
do the Clergy to their followers regarding its existence, 

(7) 



8 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

and since they cannot see the possibility of the soul it is 
quite clear to them that a thing which does not exist can 
neither be damned temporarily nor eternally, for to them 
the cause, God, which according to the Creeds has the 
power to damn and to save, does not exist either. Thus 
then the Materialists, while endeavoring to observe Morals 
(which are flexible) are in a way below the Primates be- 
cause they were not even natural enough to follow pure In- 
stinct, but rather smother it with wrong thinking. 

Instinct is spontaneous, and while we were taught that 
Instinct is the "natural desire to act for one's own good, 
that it is the innate sense w T hich tells us what is right," our 
experiences have positively disproved this doctrine, hence 
we pronounce it false. We learned that a spontaneous ac- 
tion is the result of 'Cell-Movement', that cell-movement is 
suggested either by 'inner or outer influences'. In either 
case the spontaneous actions are 'natural', respectively are 
a minute part of the Energy called Nature. Now while 
one cannot claim that nature misuses itself, experience 
teaches us that the Natural Man has within himself the de- 
sire to misuse nature, which manifesting in his body, suffers 
the loss of its energy thereby, consequently Instinct be- 
comes Abuse, and thus cell-movement instead of being 
natural, becomes an artificial movement which, while spon- 
taneous, is so only in an unnatural way. Instinct, there- 
fore, is not any longer in man the sense which tells man 
what is good for him, for Instinct became through genera- 
tions an inherited form of degeneration, hence it is a term 
as badly misused as the term Liberty. 

The Cynics used to say: "Naturalia non sunt turpia" 
(natural things are not disgraceful), and covered with this 
maxim a multitude of sins. True, anything w T hich is natural 
is in itself neither a disgrace nor a sin, yet under the ad- 
vanced code of morals the civilized man covers his body 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSH1P 9 

even in tropical countries, although his going uncovered 
would not constitute a sin. The sense of shame is an arti- 
ficial sense produced as a matter of necessity under ad- 
vanced morals, which not necessarily makes man moral, for 
Morals are but an artificial conception of Ethics which, 
teaching the Beatitudes of the Natural and the Supernal, 
bring before us the beauty of form, actual and abstract, 
makes us acquainted with the Virtues and thus leads us to 
the Higher Conceptions of Life. 

Thinking is a spontaneous action caused by cell-move- 
ment, but cell-movement can be changed by thinking. In 
this we have the Fundamentals of Mind over Matter as 
demonstrated in Occultism and Spiritism and again we en- 
counter the misue of a term, for this is but a misuse of 
Energy — a wrong application of the Vitality which here 
not only becomes weakened but forms in the abuse of the 
anima the desire to possess again a human body after death. 
This chains the mind during the time of earth life so 
to the earth that after death in an earthly sublimity of mind 
'Psycho-Prostitution' is committed by it, a state which the 
so-called Initiates call among themselves a state of absolute 
necessity for the purpose of further advancement upon the 
earth-plane. This is the mental state of the Cynic to whom 
Natural Things are not sinful. 

Mind as the net result of thoughts produced by cell- 
movements is in itself a combination of all minute-vapors 
produced by each cell-unit, and since these 'magnetic va- 
pors' register the slightest difference of cell-movement 
caused by various conditions, their color changes in accord- 
ance with the cause of the disturbance, consequently each 
disturbance no matter how minute, affects the combined 
cell-vapor, hence the mind. If then a certain part of the 
organism goes through a change, that change is first pro- 
duced in the cells of that organ and naturally has its effect 



10 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

upon the nerves imbedded in the respective cellparts, affect- 
ing thus the main nerves gradually, or at once, and the 
effect of this is called pain. 

Mind over matter means that the net result of thoughts 
must be so as to remain unaffected by the result of those 
cell-movements which, because of their location, produce 
but animal desires. This means to train oneself to think 
right, which however is far removed from thinking 
spirituelle. 

In right thinking we 'wilF to counteract all baser de- 
sires, and this is not instinctive. Counteracting these de- 
sires as much as possible results in preventing certain cell- 
movements to be artificially stimulated by outside condi- 
tions, hence the energy produced by their movement is made 
useful almost at once by the other cells and thus the. vitality 
becomes strengthened. Thus "thinking changes matter by 
controlling it." 

Now, while it is true that mental force can subdue 
pain, it is absolutely erroneous to believe that anyone being 
able to produce such is of a higher mentality than the one 
who cannot, and to believe that pain, actual pain caused by 
organic disturbances, by physical or mental discomfort or 
injuries does not exist is the belief of a fanatic. 

We cannot here enter upon the subject of Faith Heal- 
ing, but admitting the truth of such cures, it is a matter of 
magnetism first and of faith afterwards, for no matter how 
much faith a person may have, if his organism is not in the 
condition to produce the necessary amount of magnetism 
required for the purpose to bring on the change, the Faith 
Healer will have no success, or produce but a temporary 
relief, and before one claims to have the gift of healing 
bestowed upon one by God, one should ask first : wheref rom 
receives the Hindu Healer, the Spiritist Healer his power? 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP II 

The idea that ALL GOOD THINGS COME FROM 
ABOVE is not true, because most of these healing powers 
COME FROM BELOW, from the lower earth conditions, 
from the Material Spiritworld, hence even Tartarus' (hell) 
produces some good among mankind, and just like the 
Hindu and the most uneducated Spiritist Medium has won- 
derful magnetic powers, which reinforced by their controls 
can produce so-called wonders, so have others the same 
help, although they may not know it or not acknowledge it. 

If the advocates of misunderstood Mind over Matter 
would not be bound to their doctrine 'Mind cannot feel 
Pain' they could easily disprove this supposition by studying 
SOUL-LIFE, for if the mind does not feel pain then the 
soul is free from it also ; but do the Christian Scientists 
know what the mind is ? — Do they know what the soul is ?— 

We do know by experience that the soul-mind not only 
suffers pain during the transition but also — and in most 
cases even more so — during the sleep called death. We 
also know that pain exists even after awakening from that 
sleep. 

In Mind over Matter we have — psychically speaking 
— the most destructive force, for in that interpretation we 
deal with mind minus a material body. 

Mind beyond the grave is either so despondent that it 
virtually suffers hell, or it is so far removed from human 
(bodily) desires that its own bliss is for some period too 
great to be fully appreciated by it. The first mentioned 
condition is an earth condition, the second condition is an 
interlapping condition, respectively a state of existence close 
to the Spiritual Understanding. In either case the mind is 
active, for it is alive. 

In studying the phenomenon one will find that 'gaseous 
vapors' are frequently seen. These vapors may form 
around the hands of a sitter, or they may be seen floating 



12 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDltfMSHlP 

above a person or somewhere in a room, or they may be 
seen in the open air. As a rule such vapors are claimed 
to emanate from the body of a sitter, or from the medium, 
however, the fact is that these vapors 'envelope a mind', 
an intelligence, but only too often an undeveloped mind, an 
irresponsible intelligence, yet they are there and manifest, 
hence they represent Life and this fact proves itself. 

Mind incased in vapor means that although there is 
no human body in that sense of the word, there is still an 
organism in existence which resembles not only that of the 
human body, but that this organism is still composed of 
cells. Cells then must be traced beyond so-called death, and 
the existence of cells in such a new form must then — of 
necessity — have movement, for a cell without movement 
is dead. The existence of cell movement in this new form 
of life must then produce very similar effects throughout 
this new form of life it produced in the former body and 
it is because of this circumstance that death does not 
change man mentally. Considering this one cannot help 
wondering how these cells sustain themselves in that new 
life, and it is here where the Occultists and Spiritists so 
severely delude themselves. 

Life could not exist without air. The atmosphere 
is gaseous, and according to newer discoveries consists of 
five gases : Nitrogen, Oxygen, Watervapor, Argon and 
Carbon, penetrating the earth and sea, and building 
thus — as it were — five spheric conditions, although there 
are six such distinct conditions belonging to the. earth at- 
mosphere proper, each of which has certain subdivisions. 
The sixth sphere we call the 'ethereal condition'. 

Carbon is the heaviest of the five fundamental gases 
and under the law of gravity it constitutes the lowest 
splieric condition, containing in decayed form sufficient 
earth matter to counterbalance the weight lost in death, 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 1 3 

hence it is principally this gas which nourishes the anima 
during the transition, in the state of death and after death, 
the first soul-body (anima) drawing magnetically into 
itself carbon gas, which is its first sustainer. This action 
is a 'spontaneous action', a natural action. 

Hunger, thirst and the rest of the animal desires are 
strongly in the mind, which, as the net result of thoughts 
produced by cell movement, redevelops them by drawing 
carbon gas instinctively into those parts of the anima which 
formerly were responsible for these desires, thereby suffer- 
ing the agony of desires unstilled, f or the anima — no mat- 
ter how strongly it may develop itself thus — is and re- 
mains a gaseous form, which, while resembling the former 
body in detail, can in that form not satisfy its desires unless 
the mind has mastered the laws under which it can make 
a contact with a 'willing' mortal, or with an animal. 

One can now perceive clearly that the sustenance of 
cells after death is but a chemical one, that therefore life 
— then as before — is a chemical action, that man's natural 
state is an animal state because the animal sustains itself 
after death the same way. St. Paul understood this, hence 
he said: "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, bu: 
that which is natural." — I Cor. ch. 15, v. 46. 

To awake in this state means to "resurrect to condem- 
nation" and condemnation means to suffer the consequence 
of the Natural Life Principle, which under its own laws (laws 
of nature) consumes itself chemically, producing with this 
process a new and different cell-life. This extinction is 
scripturally called "Second Death". 

"How a man thinketh so he is" fulfills itself much more 
in this Other Life because — as stated — the mind draws 
into the anima gaseous matter in accordance with its de- 
sires and thus man and NOT God is responsible for the 



14 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

low condition he finds himself in after his awakening from 
physical death. 

It is absolutely erroneous to believe that the separa- 
tion of the soul from the body is but temporary, that God 
would reunite both at a Judgment Day. Such ideas are 
but conceptions of people who do not understand the laws 
of nature, to whom even the most simple chemical facts 
are incomprehensive, hence untrue and nonconforming with 
the Scriptures. They of course forget that the Scriptures 
are not chemical textbooks, that the various scriptural writ- 
ers simply relate facts of the phenomenon as they and 
those of their time understood it, and where one can speak 
of "actual inspirations", that these inspirations dealt prin- 
cipally with those facts which build the Fundamentals of 
Christ's Teaching, turning around two things, namely the 
"Resurrection to Condemnation" and the "Better Resur- 
rection", and as mysterious as some of the expressions used 
may appear, they were never scientific, but were simply ex- 
pressions of that time, becoming later badly interpolated 
by their compilers and translators to whom the phenomenon 
became a lost knowledge. 

In studying the present day phenomenon one verifies 
these facts, but now, proper scientific investigation discloses 
even a more profound mystery, and in coming actually in 
contact with the phenomenon the present day investigator, 
w r hile discovering the Truth, explains that Truth in a mod- 
ern way to modern minds, and having studied the phe- 
nomenon from a scientific viewpoint, all suppositions cease 
because the facts became clear, consequently the dogmatic 
point of view — which is based only upon the desire to 
make an incomprehensible idea comprehensive to oneself 
and especially to the masses — becomes absurd. 

> After the transition of the soul the animal body, which 
is but earth matter, dissolves itself chemically, and once 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUM SI I IP I 5 

dissolved not even God could call it back into existence. 
Why should God want to counteract the laws of nature, 
His own laws? — There is no necessity for such a mani- 
festation of Omnipotence because under the laws of nature 
each cell helps to produce the very body which is the soul, 
and if this chemical process would not take place then the 
Materialists were right, for there would be no soul. 

The soul thus produced is 'anima' and makes up the 
first or 'natural body' after death, hence the physical body 
now in decay has nothing any more to do with the New 
Life, for that body answered its purpose and returned to 
the earth whence it came. Quite different it is with the 
anima which, as the image of the former body, is composed 
of the same cell matter of which the old body was made, 
although far more gaseous, for this body when extinct re- 
turns first to the atmosphere and chemically burns up in it, 
thereby gradually returning to the earth in various forms 
of atmospheric gases. 

Man and animal alike resurrect in anima, therefore 
both are "immortal" which means "do not die", because 
they live again in cells. Some of the higher order of ani- 
mals equal in immortality the lower order of man who dis- 
appears from the Plane of Life — like the animal — be- 
coming extinct, for "Immortality does not mean Eternal 
Life." 

Extinction is simply a chemical process which in some 
works swifter than in others, and is caused in quite a nat- 
ural way. If man becomes animal-like the cells of the 
anima burn out in contact with the cosmic heat waves, 
which are the lowest vibrations of the atmosphere, becom- 
ing "Carbon Dioxide". 

We see thus clearly that Damnation is not willed by 
God but is simply the necessary outcome of one's life, the 
net result of one's thoughts. This being so, it should stand 



l6 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

to reason that man, being his own master, is predestined to 
degenerate or to evolve by his own free will, that God, man- 
ifesting His laws (natural and supernal) in phenomena 
shows man the Truth through them. It is therefore NOT 
up to God to produce "specific other signs arid wonders" 
to convince man of that Truth. 

The Theologian may then ask: Why then did Christ 
come in the flesh if His appearance upon earth and the 
Belief in Him does not save man from damnation. — Our 
answer it: "The object of Christ's appearance upon earth 
was to demonstrate in and through Jesus of Nazareth the 
TRUTH OF THE BETTER RESURRECTION which 
He taught and of which man, up to that time, knew nothing, 
having become acquainted only with the fact of his im- 
mortality, a fact derived from an insufficient study of the 
phenomenon, which he even today misinterprets and falsely 
expounds. 

While man can save himself from extinction and can 
evolve hereafter by being moral, man can, in a moral state, 
come only to the third or fourth spheric condition, and 
while he can be happy therein as well as useful to man 
upon earth, he cannot enter the Spheres of Spiritual Un- 
derstanding without learning to comprehend the Principle 
of Christ's Teaching, and this knowledge means to under- 
stand the Spiritual Truth, therefore, while the Belief in 
Christ (even in the dogmatic Christ) saves man from ex- 
tinction, it saves only in a temporary way, for .many believe 
in Christ and are not of Christ. Such a Belief merely 
changes cell movement and has the tendency to counteract 
the lower vibrations in man to the degree of man's own will. 
Morality produces the same thing, and the non-christian 
who is moral saves himself the same way. However to 
become spirituelle they must make their experiences here- 
after and so "this which is natural comes first" for all 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 1 7 

arrive in the other world in their anima from which to 
emanate is up to them and not to God or Christ. 

In the manifestations of Jesus man was not only given 
the supreme proof of the correctness of Christ's Teaching, 
but more, because it urges man to aspire the same resur- 
rection, hence the TRUE BELIEF produced by SPIR- 
ITUAL UNDERSTANDING gives the TRUE BELIEV- 
ERS THE INHERITANCE OF HEAVEN because they 
have already upon earth prepared themselves for it, but 
even so, they too resurrrect in the anima but remain upon 
a higher plane of life within the earth atmosphere until 
they are more fully prepared to enter the outer heavens. 

Thus we find again a change in cells. In the more 
advanced condition the cells of the lower part of the anima 
have become more and more useless, hence chemically de- 
stroyed, thereby changing the color of the anima from the 
natural gray-black to a very 'light gray' and gradually to 
'wdiite', which is the color of Spirituality. Spiritual Evolu- 
tion proves itself thus in the phenomenon and the study 
of the present day phenomena corroborates the experi- 
ences made by the Apostles. 

Life is Vibration — cell-movement — and as such a 
chemical action, but life is a matter of double evolution in 
man, for man evolves under the laws of nature (Elohim) 
and under the laws of God (Jehovah). Therefore man is 
a duality and expresses first, life produced by the Natural 
Principle, and afterwards that produced by the Spiritual 
Principle. Man can comprehend the spiritual only by de- 
grees, but lives in the natural. 

God is Life, Spiritual Life, hence God is the Supreme 
Cause, the Spirit per se which penetrates nature and ani- 
mates man to the degree of his receptiveness. Spiritual 
Life is nondestructive, it is Love, hence God is Love and 
neither damns nor curses anything. Man is the Image of 



l8 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

God in a spiritual sense only, in the material sense man 
is as much a combination of cells as are the rest of things 
upon earth. Cells are the fundamentals of all life, hence 
no matter how much man may evolve spiritually, he still 
has cell-movement, consequently he can only become a 
"Spiritualized Being" and as such inherit 'Eternal Life'. 
Yet the word 'eternal' is in our opinion a term the proper 
meaning of which cannot be comprehended by anyone. To 
think regarding this means to speculate, to assume, and 
speculating and assuming gave man all the absurd ideas in 
regard to his origin and final destination, hence a con- 
glomeration of wrong Beliefs which in their dogmatic arro- 
gance were responsible for massacres and wars. 

When Christ said : "They have Moses and the 
Prophets, let them hear these", He was tired of the Or- 
thodox Meddlers, tired of the silly Test-seekers, for He knew 
that they are not Truth-seekers, hence he referred them 
to the manifestations of Moses and the Prophets, not as a 
matter of spiritual enlightenment, but simply as a matter 
of conjective mood, for these recorded manifestations were 
in conformity with His own manifestations and contained 
the fundamentals of it, being chiefly natural, i. e., dealing 
with the natural, the things more directly concerned with 
man's earthlif e. The study of the Natural Phenomenon must 
bring forth the Supernal Phenomenon, therefore the nat- 
ural manifestation must be understood first. Without this 
understanding the Higher Manifestation of the Spirit can- 
not be comprehended by man. 

The immediate concern is not what Eternal Life is, 
but what Immortality is, it is the answer to the question : 
"If man dies shall he live again?" — The phenomenon 
answers this question not only emphatically with "YES", 
it also proves positively that man's mind determines what 
this After-Life will be. 






THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 19 

Proving itself true, the phenomenon, when carefully 
studied leads back to Cell-Movement and explains the dif- 
ficulties encountered by the Occultists and Spiritists, conse- 
quently instead of destroying Christ's Teaching it cleanses 
it from theological assumptions and thus the phenomenon 
is and remains the most vital part of the Rock of Ages 
which the stubbornness of the human mind can neither move 
nor destroy. 

WHAT IS THE SOUL? 

Speaking of the existence of the soul one comes at 
once into conflict with Materialism, for Materialism cannot 
comprehend the existence of the soul, yet it seems as if the 
Materialists should be less biased and more willing to find 
out whether or not their conceptions are correct. 

If there is no soul then death ends all, but if the soul 
exists then life must be something vastly different both 
from a material as well as from a spiritual viewpoint, and 
this chiefly because of the necessary Soul Activity which 
itself is life. Life therefore must become the Paramount 
Issue, which, traced to its most secret depth and most 
sublime height can not help to reveal the Truth and this no 
matter how distasteful that Truth may be. 

Speaking of the soul we quite naturally enter the Realm 
of Metaphysics, the Philosophy of the Mind, and study 
Principles and Causes, or rather, studying Causes we ar- 
rive at Principles, thereby learning to comprehend the An- 
ient Philosophies, the Hebrew Conceptions included, and 
we find that the question : Did God make man out of the 
dust of the ground? does not at all enter our theme, be- 
cause the idea expressed is but a human conception of a 
time in which the human mind — while aware of causes 
could not comprehend principles, hence erred in the funda- 
mentals. Nevertheless for the sake of argument let us say 



20 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

that God willed man into existence and thus created man 
in His Image', God being a Spirit would then have created 
a spirit and called this spirit Man. Spirit has no material 
body, hence, Spirit being without Sex, man could not have 
sex either. 

For the sake of argument let us say : 'God willed man 
into existence and used matter (the substance of the earth), 
for the purpose and in contrast to the animal 'breathed 
into man's nostrils the breath of life', making man thus 
a 'living sour, would it not stand to reason that women 
(created later), not having received the breath of life 
would have been a 'mortal soul' like the animals ? — Would 
it not stand to reason that because of this difference women 
would be and remain but a 'mere animal' and as such could 
not be a "Help-Mate" to man? — Would this not mean to 
frankly question the Omniscience and Prudence of God? — 

For the sake of argument let us assume" that God 
willed man into existence, that man, however, as the crown 
of His work received the Breath of Life, making him a 
Living Soul thereby, this soul would then constitute man's 
Spiritual Ego, which of necessity would be analogous with 
"Image of God", an image being a copy, a reproduction of 
something that is, or is supposed to be. It would then stand 
to reason that man as the Image of God would be such 
only in regard to "Soul-Quality" and not in regard to 
'bodily construction', for God, being a Spirit has no material 
body, has no animal body. 

Soul-Quality means "Essence of Spirituality" and 
Spirituality means "Inheritance of Eternal Life," which in 
itself is the Image of God. 

Man, although created a living soul, is not perfect as 
such, for being first material (of matter) man is subjected 
io the laws of nature and more or less in conflict with his 
Inner Self, with his living soul, of which he thinks the 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSI1 1 P 21 

least because in the natural state he is strongly ruled by the 
laws of nature which he does not comprehend, hence mis- 
judging these laws he not only comes in conflict with them 
but also conflicts with the divine laws. Had man been cre- 
ated perfect he could not have fallen into temptation. The 
term 'perfect' implies a state without a blemish, and in such 
a state man would have been an Angel, an accomplished 
Spiritual Being. 

The principle of the living soul is but a minute spark 
of the Essence of God, hence this principle contains the 
Power of Perfection and constitutes the "KINGDOM OF 
HEAVEN WITHIN MAN". It is the "BURIED 
TREASURE" which must be discovered and evolved, 
therefore man in the natural state is like an uncultivated 
field, bringing forth but "THORNS and THISTLES", 
things which are of no spiritual value and a detriment to 
Spiritual Evolution. 

God manifests in Nature, Nature is Matter, God is 
Spirit, both are inseparable. In this sense we have in 
Genesis Ch. I, a conception of the creation by Elohim — 
creative power of nature — and in the 2d Ch. a conception 
of the creation by Jehovah — the spiritual power. The 
contents of these stories are of the greatest importance be- 
cause they contain a spiritual knowledge incomprehensive 
to man, unfamiliar with the phenomenon, but interpreted 
literally these stories become the fundamental cause for dis- 
ruption and corruption in the Church of Christ. 

God's manifestation in nature is but a manifestation in 
Essence, therefore the expression "God is Omnipresent" 
must of necessity bring forth the idea of God's Omnis- 
cience", although these attributes may produce a difference 
of opinion and doubt in regard to the attribute "Almighty" 
as construed theologically. To the human mind God re- 



22 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

mains a Being as long as this which is Soul-Force is not 
comprehended. 

"God is a Spirit" testified Christ. Spirit has neither 
flesh nor blood, for Spirit, being pre-existent is not material, 
therefore Spirit and Matter while inseparable, are not one. 
The Spirit of God — Essence of God — penetrating matter 
animates nature only to the degree of its receptivity. 

God of necessity must be Intelligence, therefore Intel- 
ligence is the Image of God and thus Knowledge, Under- 
standing or Comprehension are either natural or supernal, 
respectively one is either the Image of Elohim or the Image 
of Jehova. It should then be clear th^t man's conception 
of God depends upon his reasoning power, consequently 
God is whatever man desires God to be, and according to 
some of the Hebrew Scribes God is a "terrible, a jealous 
God, a deceiver, liar and murderer", while others claim 
Him to be "a loving, forgiving and merciful God". 

Some of the Old Testamental Scribes claim that God 
was 'dined and wined' like a mortal, hence actually seen by 
man, although the Lord said to Moses (Ex. ch. 33, v. 20) : 
"Thou canst not see my face : for there shall no man see 
me and live". Moses insisted, so the Lord said to him 
(v. 23) : "And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt 
see my backparts : but my face shall not be seen". 

St. John states (I John ch. 4, v. 12) "No man hath 
seen God at any time", a statement which is absolutely 
correct from a psychic viewpoint, for man cannot come 
into contact with a spirit and live. Moses is the only human 
being who ever saw the "backparts- of God". 

In Numbers ch. 23 v. 19 we read: "God is not man 
that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should 
repent" . . . in v. 20 we read : "Behold, I have re- 
ceived commandment to bless and he hath blessed and can- 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSH1P 23 

not reverse it" — yet in Genesis ch. 6 v. 6 we read: "And 
it repented the Lord that he had made man". In Hosea 
ch. ii v. 9 we read: "I am God and not man", yet Jere- 
miah (ch. 22 v. 7) cried out: "Lord thou hast deceived 
me!" and in ch. 15 v. 18 he approaches God with: "Wilt 
thou be altogether unto me as a liar?" — all of which 
are but a few of the many irresponsibilities of a God that 
is a "Person". 

It is in a way a peculiarity of the so-called Christian 
mind to be unable to discern between facts and fancies, but 
if we consider dogmatic Christianity then we no longer 
wonder about the Theologic Perplexity, for unable to ex- 
plain the mysteries of Soul-Life, the Theologians cover 
their ignorance with iron-clad dogmas and become hysteric 
every time passages like those above are mentioned. The 
Materialists are more than delighted over such Old Testa- 
mental misdemeanors, for to them they are positive proof 
of the fallacy of God and the foolishness of the entire 
Christian system of thinking, consequently their disbelief 
is chiefly due to the ignorance of the Clergy as a whole. 

Knowledge is a clear perception of fact, it is based 
upon* experience, but experience may be misjudged and its 
result misapplied, therefore fie power of observation must 
be developed before one can receive knowledge, respectively 
the mind must be trained first so that it can perceive clearly 
and judge properly the experiences made, and no biased 
mind can come to that point, hence neither the dyed in the 
wool Materialists nor the dogmatic Christian will be able to 
receive the knowledge of Soul-Life. 

For the sake of argument let us say that Soul-Life is 
nonexistent, yet there are phenomena which must be ac- 
counted for. What are these phenomena? — Where do 
they come from ? — The Clergy will promptly answer : the 
phenomena are delusions produced by Satan", while the 



24 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

Materialists will claim : phenomena are the product of mor- 
bid minds. 

Let us ask the Clergy: How did your Satan come 
into existence? — By disobedience to God? — Can an angel 
become disobedient? would such not show the fallibility of 
God and prove that God is neither almighty nor all- 
knowing ? — 

Let us ask the Materialists : How do you know that 
the phenomena are produced by morbid minds? Because 
an 'intelligent mind' never experienced a phenomena? — 
Is being biased intelligent or morbid? 

The proof for the existence of God is within man 
either in an Elohistic or Jehovistic way, and the knowledge 
of this existence is and remains abstract, like the knowl- 
edge of Soul-Force, consequently the result of this experi- 
ence depends entirely upon the power of biased or unbiased 
mental development; while the proof for the existence of 
the phenomenon — while abstract in the fundamental — is 
concrete enough to lend itself to investigation, hence the 
dissenting party must be willing to accept the assertion 
made until he has positively disproved it, and if the Ra- 
tionalists are 'rational' enough they will make use of'such 
opportunities and thoroughly investigate, thereby proving 
that they are not morbid and willing to take the chance of 
becoming convinced that it is so. 

That Soul-Force exists the phenomenon proves. 

It is true Spiritism has produced a great number of 
charlatans, but this proves merely the inability of the people 
to discern between facts and fancies, however neither the 
Magician, the Psychologist, the Clergy nor the Materialist 
can destroy the phenomenon. 

"Where no brains are, thinking ceases'' rightfully claim 
the Rationalists, believing that this statement contains an 
"axiom", which once and for all times settles the question 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 25 

regarding the soul, but since their wisdom (?) prevents 
further education, they, of course, do not think it pos- 
sible that an apparatus like the brain could through a 
chemical process become rebuilt. 

The brains are in the physical body the .fundamental 
apparatus for the thinking power of man and animal, and 
are but cells, hence in cell vibration produce thoughts, in- 
fluenced either by internal or external vibrations. Thought 
in itself is abstract, but thought action is concrete, there- 
fore thought without expression (activity) remains but 
an electro magnetic force which in its units builds 
the fundamentals of this which is called 'mind', and 
mind as such is an 'electro magnetic vapor' w 7 hich, 
enveloping the soul, either destroys or develops that 
force. The soul being also a vapor, is in its orig- 
inal or natural state nothing but the net result of 
the vibratory unit of all cell movements, hence "Anima", 
respectively a 'gaseous matter' and is nourished by the body 
and from the air or atmosphere. Anima without mind is 
a mere shell, which subjected to atmospheric conditions 
becomes by degrees a part of the atmosphere and thereby 
ceases to exist. 

Thought activity forces atmospheric matter as well 
as animal matter into the anima and out of it, consequently 
death (in this sense) is a complete cessation of such action 
and exists only where thought activity ceased. 

The head of the anima is in form and shape like the 
head of the body and contains brains in a gaseous form, 
but this formation — being less compact than the human 
brains — must rebuild itself in accordance with the desires 
of the mind, hence — until rebuilt — has a great deal less 
thought activity than the natural brains produced. 

The spiritual soul or "Divine Ego" is simply a principle 
in itself and as such in contrast with anima. This spiritual 



26 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

principle, which in the creation story is called the "Breath 
of Life", must be preexistent for no matter how deeply 
we may search here for the truth we find but a truth in 
the abstract and therefore we must — instead of searching 
in Antiquity — direct our mind to the result produced by 
the spiritual principle, which has nothing whatever to do 
with morals, for morals are flexible, while the spiritual 
principle is manifesting itself at all times the same way, 
namely, in spiritual perfection. 

The spiritual principle is but a minute spark of the 
divine essence in man, and this principle w T hen evolved will 
so change the mind that it will purify the anima. By con- 
trolling the mind it will create an entirely new anima, or 
soul-body, hence man will become a new being during this 
process. If we can understand this it will not be hard to 
see that the spiritual principle is also intelligence,- and ob- 
servation and study proves that animals are not touched 
by it. 

Evolution of conduct can, strictly speaking, refer to 
Morals only, and Morals are but a material principle, and 
the "Breath of Life" cannot emanate from it because matter 
is the absolute opposite of spirit and can in its own sub- 
stance become spiritualized only through mind, therefore 
the higher order of animals — having mind to a certain 
degree — can feel the spiritual principle, registering fear in 
its presence, while man — having inherited this principle — 
can either utterly destroy it or evolve it, respectively can 
either spiritually degenerate or regenerate. 

Since no one ever saw God, the idea 'walk with God', 
or 'God is within man', or 'God Himself be with them' 
means but to evolve the Essence of God to the fullest degree 
possible and to develop a state of mind in which matter 
becomes animated by the Spirit (essence) of God; 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 27 

God cannot be analyzed, hence the attributes given God 
by man are simply dictations of religious sentiments, of 
human desires, and based rather upon theologic speculations 
than true knowledge, hence these predicates must lose their 
meaning when the actions of God as described by the earlier 
scribes are compared with the glorifications of the same 
God by the later Hebrew scribes, and take on an entirely 
new meaning when studied on hand of the new testamental 
writers, although some of them do repeat the earlier incon- 
sistencies, having remained Hebrews at heart. 

The inability to define God does not mean that God is 
nonexistent. In our opinion an attempt to define God or 
Spirit is but a human folly, nevertheless to accept the ex- 
istence of God and to feel in God the Spirit of Love and 
of Light, to accept God as Father, is a matter of Soul- 
Quality which expresses in Soul-Force the "Breath of 
Life". 

The spiritual principle exists, there can be no doubt 
about it. Yet it seems as if man cannot learn to understand 
how it can exist or could have existed before man, even so 
nobody seems to doubt the existence of the natural prin- 
ciple, taking it for granted, although man cannot explain 
its existence. If life came out of protoplasm, where did 
protoplasm come from? — Is it essential to know how 
protoplasm came into existence? — Is it not equally well 
said that 'Elohim created the world and all that is in it' as 
it is to say 'protoplasm originated all things'? — 

Life is cell movement, hence vibration. The study of 
cells and the vibrations produced by them is the most im- 
portant study. The result of this study must lead to the 
Truth. 

To study cell movement one is not digging in the ruins 
of Asia, nor is one dissecting mummies in search of vibra- 
tions, but one studies life as such is today, and since the laws 



28 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

of nature do not change, the result of this study either 
proves or disproves the experiences of the Ancients. 

This study proves the phenomenon true, but it proves 
only the semi material existence after death in the begin- 
ning of the study, which is but natural, because in this 
study we come 'first in contact only with "souls made of 
the dust of the ground", with minds incased and ruled by 
the anima, and later by degrees with the better developed 
minds of the next higher plane of life. 

Life without activity is analogous with death, therefore 
soul activity after physical death is as natural as is life, 
but since there is no fixed law or rule in nature which sets 
the time of insensibility, mental recovery or absolute mental 
destruction, one can only know that the misuse of the vi- 
tality (anima) brings on a rather long insensibility and 
produces afterwards an irresponsible soul activity, which 
leads gradually to total destruction of the anima, hence to 
death or nonexistence. 

The idea that the brain continues to think as long as 
decay has not fully destroyed it, is incorrect, because as 
soon as Rigor Mortis has set in and the abdomen becomes 
discolored and the Epidermis has separated, which may 
take from a few hours to three or four days, the entire 
nerve system is destroyed. In many cases the Ego enters 
the head of the anima before Rigor Mortis begins and is 
then in most all cases unconscious for some time, although 
the anima may still be connected with the body, drawing 
strength from it. The complete separation of the anima 
from the body may take a rather long time in some, hence 
the spiritistic idea that man's Ego can in all cases manifest 
at once after death is absurd. 

To believe that the soul or Ego can reenter the body 
after death is as silly as to believe that a disembodied Ego 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 29 

can enter the body of a dying person, animate it and live 
in it. 

During the state of unconsciousness the mind gradu- 
ally renews the material tissues of the anima's head, but 
this does not constitute an act of the creative power of the 
mind, because this reconstruction is produced by animals 
as well, hence it must be called a "spontaneous action", a 
natural act decreed to be so by nature, and as such it cannot 
be explained. 

The mind begins by degrees to work itself into a new 
condition, a condition which is in most all cases full of 
sorrows and despair, due to the utter helplessness of the 
mind, which now must make itself acquainted with laws of 
nature absolutely foreign to it, and is better by far to re- 
main longer in an unconscious state than to awaken before 
nature has worked itself out in the head of the anima, 
giving the mind a chance to assimilate and to adjust itself 
to the new condition. 

Taking all this into consideration, the seers of 
the Hebrews were not so far off when they spoke of 
"Sheol", the place into which they believed to enter 
and to remain until, perhaps, the Lord God would call 
them back into existence, Sheol being the grave, 
but this is as far as their observations went; Be- 
lieving that the Lord God inspired them, they claimed 
that God said this or that, no matter how much 
the one or the other of these divine inspirations con- 
flicted one with another. That they should come into con- 
tact with their own tribal disembodied Egos never occured 
to them, and if their priests were aware of this fact, they 
kept it cleverly to themselves, guarding this psychologic 
secret jealously, creating thus a "terrible and jealous God" 
who, although he gave the commandment "Thou shalt not 
kill", was ever ready to plunge his selected people into 



30 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

murder 'en masse', ordering killed those who could not un- 
derstand the code of worship he gave Moses, refusing — 
as it appears — to instruct Moses and the leaders who fol- 
lowed him, to do "Missionary Work among other Nations". 

Since the killing of the body does not destroy the soul, 
these old testamental murders do not give credit to the 
Omniscience and Mercifulness of the God these scribes tried 
to glorify, but rather proves that God is whatever man 
wants Him to be, and since the Clergy lay so much stress 
upon the expounding of the Old Testament, it seems rather 
peculiar that they — learned as they are — should not see 
the folly of their reasoning and instead of denouncing the 
claims made for Spiritualism study these claims — not by 
watching mediums — but by making an attempt to come 
into contact with souls who passed on to the spiritual un- 
derstanding, having thus "actual communion with the 
Saints" as had the Apostles. Is there anyone better equipped 
mentally to study these claims than the Clergy? — Why 
then not follow St. John's advice and take to heart more 
St. Paul? — 

If these claims prove themselves correct, as we know 
they do, then the time is ripe for another Reformation, a 
Reformation which not only corrects Dogmatic Theology 
but also destroys Materialism, for these facts once compre- 
hended by the Clergy will so evolve their soul that the 
Spirit of God will again be able to work upon earth like 
in the days of the Apostles, and this time will come as 
prophesied, in fact in a small way this prophecy has already 
begun to fulfil itself. 

We are not blaming the Clergy for their attitude 
against Spiritualism, knowing that they confound it with 
Spiritism, nevertheless their dogmatic views blind them to 
the extent of being unable to learn the Truth of Life and 
fearing rather that their dogmas would fall if Spiritualism 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 31 

proves itself true, than that this Truth will destroy Chris- 
tianity, they maintain — like the Pharisees — (who also 
fought for dogmas) that it is of Satan, proving thus at the 
same time that they do not know what they are talking 
about, but usurp the right to judge something of which 
they do not dare to know anything. 

True, many who dabbled with the so-called 'Unknown' 
were, and are still, caught in the net of their lusts and then 
blamed "Spirits" for the experiences made, and many of 
such afflicted people are sent to Insane Asylums by ignorant 
doctors, yet 'Religion' has produced and still produces In- 
sanity in some people who scarcely ever are cured, and if 
the secret sins committed by "our best Christian people' 7 
would be held before them — we think — it could be sta- 
tistically proven that more unclean spirits and demons are 
found in their ranks than can be found in the ranks of 
the Spiritists and Occultists who are so severely condemned 
by them ; but then the peculiarity of the Christian Spirit 
of today is "to condemn others and to place upon one's 
own head the self-made crown of righteousness." 

God did not give us the Spirit of Fear, God gave us 
Reason to investigate all things, to prove all things, hence 
to investigate the phenomenon becomes our duty, for His 
Spirit manifests still today like yesterday. 



MEDIUMSHIP 

In Mediumship we have that condition of the mind 
which reaches out for the door that shuts out the Mortal 
World from the Spirit World. Standing thus between the 
two worlds a 'Percipient becomes a Medium'. 

The principles involved are merely the desire of the 
Disembodied Ego to demonstrate its existence and the de- 
sire of the Embodied Ego to prove that existence. The 
forces applied are the Minds which have passed out of their 
mortal body and the Minds which still manifest within and 
around the brain of man, as well as the relative environ- 
ments of the respective mortal, mentally as well as physically. 
Disembodied Egos have but to prove their existence to 
convince man that a life after death exists, and man has 
but to create the condition under which such a proof can 
be received, hence the opportunity everyone has to acquire 
such knowledge should be worth the while of anyone's time 
to investigate the claims made. 

Mediumship is not necessarily a special gift, yet there 
are cases in which one becomes a medium without intention. 
In most all cases mediumship is acquired by the desire to 
become a medium, it is therefore clear that the mind be- 
cornes more or less concentrated upon the subject. 

Concentration of the mind means to shut out as much 
as possible all thoughts w T hich may hinder the mind to focus 
upon a given subject or object, and since this often creates 
a condition in w r hich the mind becomes less sensitive to 
the bodily surroundings, one can call this a state of Self- 
Hypnotism. If w r e now remember how the Ego (thinking 
power) slips into the head of the anima during the transi- 
* tion, we should be able to understand how during a pro- 

(32) 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 33 

found sleep and a state of coma nearly the same thing hap- 
pens, producing thus more or less an unconscious state, 
and in studying mediumship this fact must not be forgotten, 
because upon this fundamental psychic law mediumship is 
based, for disembodied as well as discarnate egos cannot 
work through any mortal unless this very condition is es- 
tablished. 

Man has three brain centers, namely : 
i) The Perceptive Brain — Cerebrum, 

2) The Middle Brain — Cerebellum, 

3) The Animal Brain — Medulla Oblongata. 

The perceptive brain is the thinking apparatus of man, 
the seat of intelligence, of consciousness. The Middle 
brain is the apparatus of motion, of vibration, the seat of 
the spiritual principle, while the animal brain is the seat of 
vitality, respectively the seat of the natural life principle 
and therefore the dynamo which generates all animal de- 
sires, hence this brain is also the seat of the anima. The 
mind as the net result of thoughts reflects many things 
upon the anima, which has the tendency to store these re- 
flections and to bring them back (reproduce them) into 
the mind whenever such is required. Memory therefore 
rests within the anima, within the Medulla Oblongata. 
Misuse of the vitality weakens the memory and blurs the 
perceptive brain, overcharging the middle brain — which 
is strongly sensitive to ethereal vibrations — with heat 
waves (cosmic vibrations), thus the entire organism becomes 
gradually destroyed. 

This we must remember in dealing with disembodied 
Egos, for they are but former human beings, hence to come 
in contact with them means to come in personal touch with 
either good or bad characters, because death does not at 



34 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

once change man mentally, holding him — under the law 
of gravity — upon earth as long as he is ruled by the things 
pertaining to his former life. The earth and its direct atmos- 
phere are therefore the place in which the first readjustment 
of the mind takes place, and no soul, no matter how "good" 
its mortal life may have been, can leave the earth plane 
before it is able to discharge (outgrow) its composition 
of animal matter. 

This explains the ever nearness of departed souls and 
gives the reason why those who develop mediumship with- 
out the proper guidance and knowledge — as a rule — come 
in the beginning only in contact with souls of their own 
plane, who are of the same mental environment as they 
are, and who, under the law of attraction could not draw 
to themselves those of the higher environments. 

Disembodied Egos are people, not ghosts. They are 
much like mortals, only they have no material body in that 
sense of the w r ord, hence they cannot be seen by the non- 
sensitive human eye, unless they gather enough matter 
from the atmosphere they are in and thus produce an ap- 
parition. Even then they may not be visible to all present. 

Not all disembodied Egos are able or willing to demon- 
strate, for not all have the desire or ability to learn the 
laws which govern such, and a great number remain weak- 
ened for a very long time after death. 

Studying the phenomenon proves that there are Two 
Worlds in one, but man, unable to understand his own world, 
cannot comprehend this fact, yet to suit his fancy he makes 
himself believe that death ends all, or he overdraws his 
phantasy in creeds and builds for himself aircastles in 
which he thinks to be the center figure, whitewinged, wear- 
ing the crowm of righteousness and the halo of perfection, 
although the color of his anima may be black, dark gray 
and streaked. Self-deception is one of the worst sins of the 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 35 

age and it seems to us that the obstinate refusal to investi- 
gate the phenomenon is the natural result of that sin. 

There is nothing under the sun which so thoroughly 
shows man what he is than the phenomenon, hence the 
TRIBULATIONS produced by even the lower forms of 
mediumships, which affect directly the animal brain, testify 
as to what man is. Under the old order of things we live 
in imagination, but when the new order reveals itself to us 
.then we live in that knowledge which shows us in soul ac- 
tivity what we are now and what we will or may be after- 
wards, and there is no room for deception then, unless we 
are "incorrigible deceivers and detest the Truth". 

The development of mediumship is often a more or 
less hazardous undertaking and at the beginning consists 
— as a rule — of a tiresome sitting for results, which in 
most all cases are in their first stages but 'Physical Force 
Demonstrations', representing the lower form or order of 
spiritualist acquirements. This, however, does not mean 
that such demonstrations are in all instances the work of 
"low influences", for physical force is the strength neces- 
sary for the purpose of demonstrating the existence of the 
disembodied Ego, hence these manifestations are 'elemen- 
tary' and must be classed in regard to their purpose. Table- 
Tilting and the Ouija or Blanchette Board are to many dis- 
embodied Egos the most convenient means for the purpose 
of establishing a contact and furnishing elementary proofs 
for the survival of man. 

Quite frequently people express fear of spirits. This 
is chiefly due to the absurd teaching they received in their 
childhood, as well as to absurd religious ideas. Fear reduced 
the highest conceptions to Fetish and Devil Worship, and 
since man's phantasy is able to overdraw itself, man's mind 
draws pictures of ghosts, demons and other fantastic 
forms read about so much in mythology. Fear not only 



36 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

reduces the Supernal to the lowest form of conception, it 
also reduces the mind, hence the morality, to the lowest 
level, therefore religion based upon fear at no time was 
able to proclaim God without a punitive mood and finally, 
separating God from this mood (to a certain extent), de- 
veloped the idea of a "Fallen Angel", or '"Satan" for the 
purpose of having a cause for the duality in man, a cause 
which the Ancients would have found in their own nature 
had they been able to study the phenomenon better than^ 
they did. Since all religions — as a matter of consequence 
— work upon the senses, even Christianity became a ma- 
terial religion: 

Fear in a sitter may induce a joker of the other world 
to play tricks, however such does not happen often, for dis- 
embodied Egos who desire to work with man are usually 
very careful in this respect and know well enough that they 
must not scare those with whom they wish to work. As a 
rule they investigate the vitality of each sitter before they 
begin to demonstrate. Under vitality we understand the 
generative force produced in the Medulla Oblongata, which 
connects the brains with the spinal column, hence through 
the nervesystem with the stomach and the sex. 

Disembodied Egos who work in physical force fre- 
quently draw heavily from those sitters whose Medulla Ob- 
longata is the strongest developed, hence the sitter used by 
them will at times feel drowsy and tired. It must, however, 
be understood that no disembodied Ego will draw strength 
from a sitter unless the sitter's mind allows it, for there 
are laws which govern both sides alike. For this reason, to 
sit with foolish and frivolous people in a developing circle 
may have bad results for the injudicious sitter, because 
under the law of attraction foolish, frivolous and sinister 
{disembodied Egos may force a contact. One must not be- 
lieve that a lower vibration soul will attach itself to a highly 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 37 

developed mind, unless the respective party is either a fool 
in desires or through concentration upon the subject loses 
all responsibility. 

It is often claimed by investigators that such lower 
souls, especially former drunkards, attached themselves to 
somebody who never drank anything stronger than water, 
and made that party a periodical drunkard. We dispute 
this. Souls of former drunkards have no use for anyone 
who is not in their environment, they would not even go 
near a 'moderate drinker', besides under the law of attrac- 
tion such cannot happen unless a 'teetotlar' would invite 
such a contact, in which case he would have to take the 
consequences of his action. There is, however, a possibility 
that where such happened the respective party may have 
been secretly indulging, and fooling with a Ouija board or 
the kind, the secret habit was played with by the disem- 
bodied Ego who worked with him. Then again, it may be 
that the disembodied Egos forced him to indulge and thus 
by exposing the secret habit tried to cure him from it, an 
extreme measure which only in extreme cases is applied. 

Frequently during the first stages of development a 
sitter is worked upon in such a way that his faults become 
worse for a while, or that various secret thoughts and 
habits become suddenly expressed or played with, and only 
too often it is claimed that these things are 'actions of bad 
spirits'. In most all cases the respective party goes through 
a period of mental reconstruction, during which one of 'the 
guides to be' is very closely connected with that party's 
mind, hence repeats his thoughts and during this period 
suffers under the contact with the human mind a hellish 
agony, consequently endeavors to correct it by magnifying 
the thoughts, cleaning the mind thus. The best thing for 
such people is to be quiet and not to herald their shortcom- 
ings, for no sooner have they learned to understand the 



38 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDITJMSHIP 

truth and expressed their willingness to think better and 
cleaner, than they will be helped to overcome their foolish 
and often destructive habits. 

These things must be well taken into consideration be- 
fore entering a seance room or developing circle, in which 
the mind of those present becomes an open book to the 
disembodied Egos assembled. Souls once drawn into a 
developing circle will — after they have selected one of the 
sitters for their work — remain in that party's atmosphere 
and, while they may not at once make their constant pres- 
ence known, they will watch and study him. 

It is frequently the case that active souls will at the 
beginning use one of the sitters who has a strongly de- 
veloped Medulla Oblongata for the purpose of demonstrat- 
ing physical force for the benefit of the one with whom they 
really desire to work, but whose Medulla is not thus de- 
veloped, thereby interesting that party so that they can 
develop him without direct application of physical force, 
and after that party has progressed far enough to under- 
stand these demonstrations, they will suggest to him to sit 
alone for development. 

During the first attempts but little result is achieved, 
due to the desire of the 'guides to be' not to draw too 
strongly from his vitality. Nevertheless, they will produce 
'Thought Vapors.' These vapors form around the hands, 
often covering them entirely, and may be seen by anyone 
who is in the developing stage. It is well to watch these 
vapors and to guard against drowsiness, for such proves 
that a now active disembodied Ego has begun to draw from 
one's vitality more than usual, and especially if one feels 
a certain 'ebbing of something within' as well as a 'cloudi- 
ness before the eyes.' Those who experience such and do 
not desire to make a contact, or who do not understand the 
responsibility they are taking by attempting to acquire such, 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 39 

should at once cease to go to seances or developing circles, 
or at least should make a strong mental effort to say "no!", 
refuse to have their vitality used by disembodied Egos of 
whom they know nothing, for thus only can trouble and 
various hardships be prevented by them. 

The symptoms mentioned are caused by a disembodied 
Ego entering one's anima, which now becomes temporarily 
enlarged. This action is necessary to all souls who wish 
to work with man and this has been so at all times, be- 
cause 'Spirit' cannot manifest itself in and through man 
any other way. It is this action which makes a Recipient 
a Medium or Psychic. Once the anima is entered the mind 
becomes subjected to the Influences invited, and this af- 
fects different people in various ways. The effects may 
be harmful to a person if the respective disembodied Ego 
is unaware of the condition produced, or if it is of the 
lower vibrations and therefore enters the anima through the 
magnetic pathway of the Medulla Oblongata, in which case 
this which the Theosophists call "Reincarnation" is pro- 
duced, while if the entry is made through the proper chan- 
nel, through the Cerebellum, the Psychic State is established 
and this is called "Incarnation. " 

Incarnation may produce similar effects Reincarna- 
tion produces, because both will, as a matter of natural 
consequence 'derange one's mind temporarily' (become be- 
side one's self) and may end in accute insanity if the per- 
son thus affected is not handled carefully by his own people 
or friends. The danger line is therefore reached when the 
above-mentioned symptoms make themselves felt and there 
is still time to refuse by not partaking any longer on such 
sittings, for later, after the contact is made, it is difficult 
to destroy the established connection and it is very seldom 
that a severed connection ever fully re-establishes the 
natural condition. 



40 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

No disembodied Ego will 'despoil man', unless man is' 
either foolishly embarking upon the Unknown and throws 
himself wantonly into such danger by producing 'Cosmic 
Vibrations', by allowing his animal self to control the mind 
during the time of development, thereby inviting souls of 
that kind (his kind) to play with him, in which case all 
further progress depends entirely upon him and not upon 
the better elements of the spirit world, for "where a car- 
cass is the eagles gather together." 

The main thing is to determine as early as possible the 
purpose of one's development, which must be first of all 
to receive "Spiritual Understanding" and not material 
things, for to aspire material things means to invite the 
Inhabitants of the Material Spirit World and therefore the 
troubles of that world. 

Only too many people aspire mediumship without 
knowing what they are doing, and the most common aspira- 
tion seems to be 'fortune-telling', the net result of Spiritism. 

Mediumship which develops not the mind, which 
hinders the soul in its process to unfold, which does not 
"force one to reach out for the Higher Things, for Spiritu- 
ality" is a mediumship produced by 'lower vibration souls' 
(although they may have a material sublimity of mind) and 
as such from the Kingdom of Death. 

Mediumship does not mean 'fortune-telling', nor does 
it mean to entertain people with physical force demonstra- 
tions, it means to develop one's mind so as to become sensi- 
tive to the Ethereal Vibrations, to reach out for that Spiritu- 
ality which one alone can receive by having the knowledge 
pertaining to the other world and with that knowledge help 
others as one is helped in all spiritual mediumships by 
spiritual guides. It is a friendship between disembodied 
Egos and embodied Egos, it is an association of minds with 
either good or bad results, and just as one can judge man 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MED1UMSHIP 4I 

by the company he keeps, so one can judge a medium by his 
controls. 

Well developed disembodied Egos can judge the people 
they come in contact with by the color of their aura, but 
this is done telepathically, for 'spirits have no eyes/ al- 
though the head of the anima has reproduced the eyes. 
Every thought produces a vibration in which it expresses 
itself in the form of a picture which transfers itself to the 
soul-mind by concentrating upon the mind of man. The 
same way a disembodied Ego can inject thought-pictures 
into man's mind. The result depends entirely upon the 
force employed by the soul-mind and that of resistance in 
the one to be reached thus. 

It is the telepathic force which is employed in all 
developing circles and in this lies the secret, or reason, that 
in such circles so many lies are produced, for in the be- 
ginning disembodied Egos rely mostly upon the thought- 
waves produced by the sitters, and thus one can see clearly 
how fortune-telling spirits work w T ith the mind of the in- 
quirer, and some mediums even 'spoil' this by adding a few 
lies themselves." 

The more resistant man's mind is the more dense or 
solid its anima will be. This shows how much depends upon 
the Individual whether or not 'Spirit-Influence' can be 
received. In this we see also the reason why stubborn or 
materialistic people so seldom develop any sort of medium- 
ship : their atmosphere is too dense, consequently the door 
to their mind is closed to all manifestations. 

It thus becomes clear that the Ego, the T AM', the 
Paramount Will of man either opens or shuts the gate 
through which the spirit must enter. 

Mediumship is but a mental process in which the human 
mind becomes sensitive to the activities of the souls passed 
into the other world, a world which, surrounding and pene- 



zj.2 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

trating the present world, makes TWO WORLDS IN 
ONE. 

Man's aura changes its color in accordance with his 
thoughts and soul development from a dark red-brown to 
a more refined coloring, becoming much like transparent 
amber in all who become spiritualized. 

The red-brown aura is the aura of the natural man. 
It is coarse, hence filled with earth-matter, with substances 
which decay from time to time, thus man's soul body 
(anima) undergoes the same chemical changes man's body 
suffers ; but these substances help to build the anima which, 
resembling the former body in all details, becomes the first 
soul body, and as such this 'new body' is still material, hence 
mortal, and resurrects with its former mind to Condemna- 
tion in the earthsphere, in the kingdom of death. This 
soul body dies as many deaths in the After- World as may 
be required for its advancement, each death meaning a 
'decomposition of matter contained in it', each accomplished 
advancement purging it from earthy things (thoughts), 
making it more ethereal. 

Disembodied Egos cannot change their aura or "Soul- 
Light" voluntarily* nor can they change their bodily form. 
Spirit Lights are Soul Lights, their color testifies to the 
spiritual development of the Ego. 

The soul-mind, being an "electro-magnetic force", is 
even in the souls of the lowest vibrations much more 
electro-magnetic than in most people, hence the strong- 
est physical force demonstrations are produced by lower 
forces, by disembodied Egos who not necessarily are 
sinister, but who, making a strong attempt to re-establish 
themselves again upon earth, have selected a mortal most 
suitable to them and, to interest him, work hard to arouse 

* p. 49. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMS11IP 43 

that mortal's interest by producing the things his mind 
fancies. * 

At times it becomes necessary that disembodied Egos 
join their electro-magnetic force with the surplus force of 
the sitters and then frequently 'Part-Materializations' (ap- 
paritions of heads or hands) are produced; but as a rule 
they cannot be touched by the sitters, although parts thus 
produced may touch one or the other sitter. With these 
joint forces articles can be carried a short distance without 
a hand becoming visible. 

There is absolutely nothing mysterious or 'supernatu- 
ral' in this ; the respective disembodied Egos, having thor- 
oughly studied the laws of nature governing this phenome- 
non, simply know how "to use their mind. These things 
however belong to the material side of Soul-Activity, and 
while they enlighten man in regard to the Psychology of 
the Mind, they absolutely destroy man's soul (spiritual 
principle), for they produce ultimately a "Sensual 
Mediumship". No spiritually developed soul works in 
physical force, neither do well developed souls of the 
Material Spirit-world employ such, unless for the pur- 
pose of "elementary training of their disciple," dis- 
carding it as soon as the disciple has comprehended 
in but a small way the manifestation show T n. Where 
such manifestations continue it is but a sign that the 
manifesting Egos are not only of the lower vibratory 
conditions, but also that their medium belongs to the same 
class. 

An undeveloped soul has within itself all its former 
weaknesses, which in contact with its medium become fully 
restored. IN THIS LIES THE GREATEST DANGER 
TO BOTH THE DISEMBODIED AS WELL AS THE 
EMBODIED EGO, FOR ONCE ATTACHED TO A 
MORTAL, SUCH A SOUL-MIND CAN PARTAKE 



44 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

ON THAT MORTAL'S LIFE AND GRADUALLY 
FORCE ITS OWN WILL THROUGH IN ALL 
THINGS. Upon this fact the idea of Re-Incarnation is 
based. 

Where a direct mental mediumship makes its beginning 
the soul mind will at times envelop the medium's body. 
The result is that the soul mind, coming now in contact with 
the medium's anima receives all the "Heat- Waves" sent out 
from the medium's body and thus "suffers the first penalty 
for entering an undeveloped mortal's atmosphere", for all 
thoughts of the medium reflect themselves now within its 
own mind. For this reason the higher developed souls, 
who select a certain person for the purpose of teaching 
upon earth, always select souls of the better conditions of 
the Material Spiritworld for the purpose of teaching and 
developing their disciple, and one of them always bears the 
troubles arising from natural causes, but these souls, hav- 
ing far enough advanced to function as "Material-Spiritual 
Teachers" very seldom come into conflict with the nature of 
man, for, having 'overcome sex' they counteract by degrees 
the foolish desires of their disciple, and even discipline him 
mentally whenever such becomes necessary. 

We see thus clearly the difference of development 
from the beginning and all depends upon the Individual. 
All troubles experienced during the periods of development 
are in most all cases due to man's own foolishness and 
stubbornness. It is therefore of the utmost importance 
that those who desire to develop mediumship, or who wish 
to investigate the phenomena, first of all "learn to know 
themselves as they are known in that Other World in which 
the most secret thoughts are like an open book", for they 
are playing with the fire of their own lusts and reap the 
consequences thereof. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 45 

Mediumship must be aspired in an honest and prayer- 
ful condition of the mind and not by sitting with foolish 
people in so-called "Seances" or "Developing Circles", in 
which "Singing of Hymns and Praying" are but a farce 
instituted by the presiding medium for the purpose of mak- 
ing things look right. The greatest number of such 
mediums have practically no knowledge at all and are mere 
charlatans trafficking in souls. 

To think that to develop mediumship one must have 
an "Indian" or a "Hindu Control" is absurd. There are 
distinct differences in the races, not only in color but also 
in mind, which under the law r s of attraction demand at- 
tention, and while spiritually speaking all men are brothers, 
races do not mix mentally as long as they have not acquired 
the same standard of Spirituality, therefore the various 
races and nationalities group in the earth-sphere the same 
way they do upon earth, and maintain their color and 
racial differences until they have become a Spiritual Unit 
in Christ, respectively entered the Spiritual Spheres. 

While it is true that the American Indian seems to 
like to attach himself to American White Persons, it is 
equally true that he "never forces his company upon any- 
one." It is also true that the American Indian in his 
alertness, intuition and endurance makes a good 'trailer' 
as well as a good 'forteller of things' and is by his own 
nature a 'magnetic healer', but since most all Indians are 
slow in accepting spiritual things, such controls are of no 
spiritual value to anyone, and, guarding their medium's 
mind jealously, they become a detriment to their medium's 
mental development. The same is the case where "Hindu- 
Controls" are concerned. 

ANY WHITE PERSON INVITING SUCH CON- 
TROLS COMMITS A CRIME AGAINST HIS OWN 
NATURE AS WELL AS AGAINST THE SPIRITUAL 



46 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

LAWS, AND TRESPASSING UPON THE LAWS OF 
THE SPIRITWORLD, SUCH PEOPLE CHAIN 
THEMSELVES TO DISEMBODIED EGOS, WITH 
WHOM — WERE THEY STILL IN THEIR MORTAL 
BODY — THEY WOULD NOT ASSOCIATE. 

Furthermore a majority of Indian and Hindu-Controls 
are but Impostors, clever charlatans of the earthsphere and 
material spiritworld, souls of former fortune-tellers and 
Western adepts of the Philosophies of the East; therefore 
a great number of "Clairvoyant Mediums" have never seen 
their controls, nor for that matter any other disembodied 
Ego. They are like the "Witch of Endor, who became 
scared seeing Samuel's Soul-Mind, because she had never 
before seen a Spirit." 

While mediumship is an exalted condition of the mind, 
the majority of mediums have made it the most ridiculous 
farce, and the sins committed under the name of Spirit- 
ualism are too manifold to count. 

Mediumship is based upon Telepathy. Disembodied 
Egos manifesting their presence by telepathically controlling 
the brain centers of those with whom they wish to work, 
hence they will — before becoming active — carefully study 
the aura of the sitters, using (as stated) for physical force 
demonstrations only those who have a well developed 
Medulla Oblongata. To understand mediumship one must 
first learn to understand the Psychology of the Soul, hence 
the Psychology of Mediumship deals directly with the soul- 
body and the intellectual force that governs it. 

The human body in its natural state produces a dark 
red-brown aura, which when sickness makes itself felt 
changes its coloring, and during extreme suffering may be- 
come so dense that all color disappears from it, often turn- 
ing — a few weeks before death — gradually into a rather 
dark blue. The 'blue aura' is the aura of death, and re- 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 47 

mains such even after death. It is the aura of the still 
sleeping mind, which incased in the anima often floats in 
that state in the lower and lowest strata of the earthsphere. 
The average duration of the "sleep of death" is from one to 
six months, in spiritually developed people from one hour 
to one, three or six days, seldom longer than ten days, this 
does however not imply that anyone aw T akened from the 
sleep of death can manifest to man, for there are periods 
in the process of awakening during w r hich the mind remains 
not only stupefied for some time, but also immobile, hence 
non-demonstrative. Persons with a strongly developed 
Medulla Oblongata can frequently demonstrate their exist- 
ence during the first two or three weeks after the transition, 
but fall then into a very deep sleep and often remain un- 
conscious for many months and even years before they 
awaken. 

With the returning of consciousness the blue aura 
gradually changes to a 'gray-amber' (brass color), which 
is the aura of Life, of Resurrection to the material condition 
of the After Life and which builds the "First Estate of 
Soul-Activity. " This change may take a long time, hence 
many souls who demonstrate are still in that "irresponsible 
state which lies between the blue and gray-amber aura", a 
condition in which the mind is still confused and memory 
lacking. 

The 'emerald aura'* (beryl) is the aura of complete 
destruction of all material desires, of all animalism, and 
is called "the aura of spiritual fertility." This aura is 
seldom seen by the average or common medium, for souls 
who have attained this state produce a 'light purple aura' 
when coming in contact with man's atmosphere, manifest- 
ing in the beryl color only while descending and ascending 



* P. 49, 63. 



48 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

to and from their work with their disciple, but it is seen 
clearly in the spirit world where the auras represent and 
are the state of mind. 

Auras appear always in the form of an oval, the size 
of which may differ from a fraction of an inch to three, 
four and five feet in length. Souls coming in contact with 
man's atmosphere for either the purpose of investigation, 
visitation or demonstration never appear at once in their 
soulform, always producing first a 'light' (aura), then an 
oval which gradually enlarges and gathers matter until the 
nucleus begins to take on form, thus completing the process. 

Soul-Lights seldom remain visible longer than a few 
minutes, respectively not longer than it is required for the 
process of selecting and discharging matter. This phe- 
nomenon can be witnessed especially where lecturing souls 
come into consideration : the oval descending upon the 
medium before Trance-Control' is established, and ascend- 
ing after the control is ended. The "cloven tongues of fire" 
referred to in the Acts as "sitting upon the head of each 
of them" is the same manifestation, pictured in the act of 
disappearance within the anima of the Apostles, and while 
these lights can be called "flames of fire", they are not 
such, the expression is not even symbolic, but is simply 
either a mistranslation or a personal opinion of Luke's. 

"The burning bush" of Moses is another form of the 
same manifestation, here the Soul-Mind of a Spiritual 
Teacher manifested his presence to Moses, and burning up 
the matter in and around the bush, produced thus his aura, 
the light and magnetic waves of which made the bush ap- 
pear "burning", thereby attracting the already partially de- 
veloped mind of Moses, who thus received "his call." The 
voice he heard was heard by him "mentally." 

"The pillar of fire and of smoke" is the same mani- 
festation, only expressed differently and greatly exag- 



THE PSYCHOLOGY Oi< MEDIUMSllll' 49 

gerated by the recording scribe, who did not understand the 
phenomenon he knew but from hearsay. 

Anyone seeing soul-lights or having visions or any 
other manifestation can receive a message, the only thing 
necessary is to become quiet and to ask »earnestly for it, 
however, it is well to understand the colors of these lights, 
for very much depends upon this knowledge. 

Gray lights which flash, as well as dark shadows or 
dark-blue and red lights are always reflecting the lower and 
lowest forms of souls ; while green, always appearing soft, 
will prove itself in all cases deceptive, it is the color of 
material fertility and manifests in sape or olive green. 
Souls of the 'carbonic state' are dark-grey and produce a 
red light (sensual color) in their activity. Those of the 
lower order are 'jet-black' and such souls can be called 
'demons' because they are sinister, while the former are not 
necessarily bad, but are rather too much like the average 
mortal and still able to evolve to a better condition. Jet- 
black souls, while as a rule incorrigible, are frequently 
well versed in all things pertaining to the laws of nature, 
and knowing that their immortality depends entirely upon 
a contact with a human or animal body, they move swiftly 
to make such a contact, and only too often succed in this 
endeavor two or three times, not more, because nature it- 
self sets the limit, each "possession" weakening their cell 
movements, consequently a fourth possession becomes im- 
possible and they sink then usually into decayed earthmat- 
ter and, nourishing with its gases their ebbing vitality, be- 
come by degrees a part of it, like the animals. 

The anatomy of the anima can be divided into six 
sections, each section having its own specific purpose. 

Section i) The head of the anima constitutes the 
main essence of the soulbody, namely the senses, either 
more or less developed. 



50 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

Section 2) From the neck to a little below the heart. 
This section represents the "bearing quality or pillars' 5 , 
which constitute in the lower spiritworld the main or near 
main essence of the anima, for here matter — as matter 
appears in the lower strata — assembles the strongest due 
to the fact that this portion of the human body contains 
the breathing apparatus, which in the anima is transformed 
into the most flexible atomic matter, such as is found in 
mercuric substances. These substances adjust themselves 
quickly to all conditions and circumstances, enabling the 
disembodied Ego to manifest its will "outwardly", respec- 
tively to express its will in "physical force", a force for- 
eign to the higher environments. 

Section 3) This section contains in the human body 
the organs of the abdomen, the stomach, hence they are in 
the anima of similar nature, differing only in substance, 
which now — while still matter — has lost its activity and 
manifests itself only at times reflectively, by reflections 
thrown from there upon the mind, or suggested by the 
mind to this part. Gluttons thus suffer from their appe- 
tites and lusts twofold in the other world, namely : reflec- 
tively and suggestively. 

Section 4) This part takes in the lower abdomen to 
the hips and is sexual. Undeveloped souls are, like unde- 
veloped people, often very sensual, especially those whose 
Medulla Oblongata was strongly developed, hence they live 
within the cosmic heatwaves which govern the lower strata 
of the earthsphere and therefore in the Hell which, while 
wrongly interpreted by the Theologians, exists around the 
earth. 

Sensual souls assemble much matter in this part of 
their anima and exert themselves so much that their mental 
activities not only become dulled but also destroyed, con- 
sequently such souls will gradually sink upon the animal 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUM SHIP 51 

level and become extinct, suffer second death. There are, 
however, a great number of such souls invading the earth- 
plane, which is — under the laws of nature — not extraor- 
dinary, for being the nearest to man, these souls really live 
upon earth, although they are invisible to those who have 
not developed Clairvoyancy, and living upon earth they be- 
come so greatly charged with cosmic waves that they suffer 
the hell of Impotence, therefore those who have the mental 
strength still endeavor to attach themselves either directly 
or indirectly to somebody for the purpose of "living again 
in bodily vibrations." IMMORAL HOUSES AND IM- 
MORAL PERSONS ARE THE MAGNETS WHICH 
DRAW THESE SOULS. It should then become clear 
why one should not visit Seances without knowing the moral 
status of the mediums present, for a great number of 
mediums are controlled by souls of these strata. It 
should also be easily understood why anyone attempting to 
develop mediumship must do. so clean-mindedly, for cosmic 
or elementary vibrations draw such souls, and while they are 
not necessarily sinister, they have not yet overcome the 
flesh, and being still of one's "own flesh and blood", the 
temptation the animal body holds out to them is too great 
to overcome, hence leaving their first estate (first soul- 
state after awakening from death) they violate the natural 
and supernal laws, trespassing upon the human mind and 
body, and persons who wilfully invite such contacts are 
equally guilty. 

Section 5) This section takes in the upper part of 
the legs to the knees and is with Section 6, which takes in 
the lower part of the legs and the feet, after Section 2, the 
most essential part of the anima as long as the disembodied 
Ego is still within the material spiritworld, affecting even 
those who have advanced to the so-called "Outer Heavens." 
In these sections we have in reality the impulse of feeling 



52 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

which chains the Ego to its former environment, for the 
lower extremities bear the weight of the body, hence man's 
home, the room in which he felt comfortable, his place of 
business, etc., are the places which attract and draw the 
soul. 

The reconstruction of the mind, retributing the soul, 
allows the soul to unfold by discharging the earthmatter 
gathered in the various sections of the anima, re-assembling 
itself with "ethereal substances." The soul thus finally 
changes the color of the aura, which being dark blue in the 
state of death (sin), becomes gray-amber color, showing 
its new (material) life therein and progressing from thereon 
with the will of the mind. 

The anima or soulbody, having the form of the mortal 
body, has also to all outward appearances the organism of 
that body, hence a head, arms, hands, limbs and feet. This 
is, however, an optical delusion, for the disembodied Ego 
has neither, but is simply "mind incased in vapor." 

Mind as a constructive force never ceases to exist as 
long as it has the environment to work in. Mind in mat- 
ter constructs by assembling around it that form which 
formerly was its own and which in the embryonic state has 
begun to develop itself in the vapor of the anima, but it 
can only construct its former body in parts and not as a 
whole, and it cannot hold this construction more than a 
fraction of time. 

During the time of reconstruction the inner part of the 
oval, the nucleus, begins to press outward and with this 
movement from within to without the rebuilding of the 
anima begins. During this process the mind collects the 
necessary matter, and the anima thus takes on gradually 
the material form of its former body. The reconstruction 
of the anima's anatomy is done under the laws of nature 
(laws of attraction), hence the sections of the abdomen 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 53 

and sex are those which hinder the soul most to unfold and 
to advance spiritually. 

The average disembodied Ego begins with the recon- 
struction of its anima at the time of its first awakening, 
which happens in some cases within a few days after the 
transition, and this reconstruction always begins with the 
head. The process of reconstruction becomes then a mat- 
ter of will, and the will is in all cases influenced by the 
desires held, respectively acquired during one's earthlife. 

Souls of the material spiritworld, and especially those 
of the earth-plane, assemble their anima more completely 
and reproduce their former form as quickly as they can, 
for, while they cannot fulfill their desires, the mere thought 
of them becomes at once active and draws matter into the 
parts most affected, but this form will hold only in a 
"shadowy way" in their own environment and 'momentary' 
only upon earth. 

Being planetary or elementary, they attract the coarser 
atomic matter of the earth and are subjected to the earth 
magnetism to the extent of being influenced by electric 
storms. 

We called the soulbody in regard to its material re- 
semblance with its former body a "delusion" because, while 
the anima "comes into existence with the embryo and has 
within itself this which is called "Living Soul", both, 
anima and soul grow with the embryo, hence as "vapors" 
they are not only inseparable from the mortal body, but 
take on its form also ; however the resemblance is only in 
outline. The anima, being in itself the vapor produced by 
the First Life Principle, is naturally not only enveloping 
the mortal body, but envelopes also the Living Soul, un- 
less one has become so spiritualized that the Spiritual Prin- 
ciple controls fully the Natural Principle, in which case the 



54 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

anima ceases to exist as such, having become cleansed from 
its original condition and therefore more ethereal. 

THIS IS REBIRTH, A PROCESS ALL SOULS 
MUST GO THROUGH BEFORE THEY CAN ENTER 
THE SPIRITUAL SPHERES. SINCE THERE ARE 
NO CREEDS IN THE SPIRITUAL SPHERES, IT 
STANDS TO REASON THAT NO CREED CAN 
PRODUCE REBIRTH, THAT THIS WHICH IN THE 
LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF THE DOCTRINE 
IS CALLED REBIRTH IS BUT "A SHADOW OF 
THE THING THAT IS." 

In death the intellectual force or mind slips with the 
Living soul into the head of the anima, and this change 
alone is sufficient to produce an absolute unconsciousness, 
therefore it is absurd to claim that anyone just passed out 
can demonstrate its survival at once. It is, however, pos- 
sible that a soul just passed out can by sheer force of will 
make a magnetic contact with the mind of some one dear to 
it, and thereby — producing in that person's mind either a 
picture of itself, or soundwaves — announce its death, which 
though does not mean that the respective soul-mind was 
actually near that person, for such can be done telepathically, 
the thought being carried and re-enforced by souls, of rela- 
tives or friends. 

A good psychic may be able to see the rising of the 
anima from the inanimate body, but a close study will dis- 
prove all things claimed by mediums that "death is like step- 
ping from one room into another room, or like dropping one 
shirt and putting on another shirt," for now the anima be- 
gins to draw life, respectively begins to draw material sub- 
stances from the gases produced by its former body, and 
often continues to do so for a long time, although the body 
be buried. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUM SHIP 55 

A psychic may at times see the anima of a dead and 
buried person "float" in its former environment or near one 
of its relatives or friends, but this proves only the restless 
state of the unconscious mind within the anima, and this 
state can have various causes — constant grief of those left 
behind, worries experienced before and during the transi- 
tion, and such can easily produce this condition. 

With the returning of the consciousness the mind begins 
to reconstruct its new body, but in all cases the head and 
chest are built first, therefore one may frequently see dis- 
embodied Egos developed to the chest only, and among such 
more often Egos who wear a "veil", whose face is not de- 
veloped at all, or but partly developed. In either case a good 
psychic will perceive around the form the 'blue aura' through 
which the aura of (material) life (gray amber) begins to 
shine. In most all cases the head and neck appear rather 
dark gray, while the shoulders and chest are jet black. Such 
souls have not yet assembled their memory and are in the 
first stage of development, hence are "non-communicative". 

Here it is well to remember that a "paralytic stroke" 
may for months and even years destroy one's memory, that 
death, being a total paralysis produces the same efifect and in 
some cases it takes a rather long time for the disembodied 
thinker to recover his identity in full. 

A partial development of the face shows the mental 
activities are stronger, but memory is still lacking and me- 
diums may receive from such souls very irresponsible 
thought waves. Many souls are in such a condition for a 
rather long time, yet mediums will give messages from them, 
notwithstanding the fact that these souls are unable to think 
during the first stage, and are not responsible during the 
second stage. 

The anima appears during the first stages of develop- 
ment like an exposed photographic plate in the process of 



56 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

developing, the "developer" being the desires ; its "fixing 
solution" the mind. 

Remaining in the earthplane the anima will of necessity 
build itself by attracting matter, and since the mind can 
force this process, it is but natural that the longer a soul re- 
mains of the earth, earthy, the more it will assemble earth- 
matter, hence become more earthlike and, having thus 
"willed itself an organism resembling fully that of its former 
material body", it has developed the organism imprinted 
upon the anima as fully as such is possible. Since this or- 
ganism is of no use to the disembodied Ego in its own en- 
vironment and serves only as a "protection against cosmic 
currents" — although it brings the soul under the influence 
of the laws of nature like man — this organism is but a 
"Thought-Body' and constitutes the "Desire-Body", which 
is the real cause of the various hells existing in the earth- 
sphere and in the material spirit-world. This thought — or 
desire-body is the fundamental cause of Re-incarnation, 
for it forces the mind (ruled by the anima) to seek a ma- 
terial body — the body of man or animal — to live through 
to fulfill its desires. 

It seems then to be extremely foolish to thus recon- 
struct one's body. Yet even so, man's mind has enough 
foolish desires to act contrary to the divine laws, for the 
mind of the natural man refuses to learn to understand 
spiritual things, and as a rule has no time for the proper 
development of his living soul, consequently man's mind 
takes with it its entire makeup and thinks in the other world 
as good and as bad or foolish as it was prone to think upon 
earth, until "a light shines into the darkness of his soul". 

Man as a product of the earth awakens upon earth after 
death, and remains of the earth until the mind begins its 
reconstruction, advancing to a higher environment with the 
degree of the retribution of the soul, therefore elementary 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSILIP $7 

or planetary souls are such not because they are "evil", but 
chiefly because they have not begun with the reconstruction 
of their mind while still in their mortal body. They are 
simply in the natural state, are still "souls made of the dust 
of the ground". They are not damned because of this, and 
many of them dwell among the best disembodied Egos of 
the material spiritworld, teaching the various sciences and 
arts, preaching the gospel in the same, material way it is 
preached upon earth, and many of them become active teach- 
ers upon earth, attaching themselves to mortals through 
whom they teach the things they learned, or inspiring con- 
genial mortals with new ideas as well as with old. This was 
true at all times, for there is a purpose in man's life which 
in the "Spiritual Evolution" is but a stepping stone to the 
higher developments and even here the law of the "Survival 
of the Fittest" makes itself felt. 

Souls of the spiritual spheres when coming in contact 
with man's atmosphere must — of necessity — also take on 
matter, but they, unlike those of the earth and the material 
spirit-world, burn up matter, that is, their contact with mat- 
ter destroys all cosmic substances (pertaining to sex), 
therefore they never take on the human form as do those- 
of the lower spheric conditions, resembling man (their for- 
mer self) only from the shoulder up, the rest of their form 
remaining "Soul- Vapor". They can, however, produce in 
the sight of a psychic or medium a vision of their ethereal 
body and, of course, can in the same way show the way they 
looked while still in their mortal body. Producing their 
ethereal form they always show with the vision the ad- 
vancement achieved or express through it the purpose of 
their mission and are always "white" in appearance. 

DISEMBODIED AND DISCARNATE EGOS 
MANIFESTING TODAY DIFFER IN NO WAY FROM 
THOSE WHO MANIFESTED TO MAN CENTURIES 



58 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

AGO, AND THE EXPERIENCES OF TODAY CON- 
FIRM THOSE OF YESTERDAY. 

The term "Spirit" used for the purpose of describing 
man's state after death is not proper, because man is in that 
state either a disembodied or a discarnate Ego and as such 
can become only a "Spiritualized Being." 

Spirits, like Angels, are pre-existent. They came into 
existence before man, and while Spirit cannot be defined, 
one can, by studying the spiritual evolution, come to the un- 
derstanding that Spirits can have no material body, because 
Angels, being an Intellectual Force inclosed in spiritual 
vapor, have but an ethereal head resembling that of the dis- 
carnate Ego and otherwise have nothing in common with 
man, are neither male nor female, while the discarnate Ego 
carries still in its soul-body the shadowy imprint of its for- 
mer human form, which in the disembodied Ego is of neces- 
sity more or less fully developed. 

Spiritualized Beings, when coming in contact with 
man's atmosphere burn up matter and destroy the cosmic 
(animal) vibrations, hence no man can come into contact 
with a discarnate Ego without being first exposed to the 
vibrations of souls of the lower vibrations, a process through 
which the human brains become accustomed by degrees to 
the higher vibratory force. If such a contact would be 
made suddenly, a total Paralysis would take place and death 
would be the result. What would happen if a Spirit or 
Angel would come into contact with man, or if a number of 
them would enter man's plane, can easily be imagined. 

The term "Angel" used in the scriptures denotes in 
most all cases "Soul" and brings out the difference between 
those of the spiritual spheres and those of the lower con- 
ditions, the latter being always referred to with terms like 
"unclean spirits, demons and devils." 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSI11P 59 

To discern between souls one must be a Psychic. There 
is a great difference betwen a psychic and a medium, al- 
though the psychic is a medium due to the fact that the 
psychic stands also as a recipient between the two worlds 
differing from the medium in this that the psychic has the 
spiritual gift of the Keys and therefore spiritual guidances, 
the medium being controlled by souls made of the dust of 
the ground. 

Mediumship must therefore be classed thus: i) Me- 
diumship is a "Re-Incarnation" wherever a disembodied Ego 
trespasses upon the human body and thus partakes on a 
mortal's life. 2) Mediumship is an "Incarnation" where- 
ever a discarnate Ego comes into contact with a human be- 
ing and developes that mortal's spiritual self and teaches 
through him the spiritual truth given man by Christ through 
Jesus. There is no middle ground. 

The ideas that "spirits'' manufacture clothing and build 
houses of various materials, that they eat and drink and 
even marry and bring forth children, are nothing but decep- 
tions given mediums by their unscrupulous controls, who, 
knowing their medium's mind, make them believe whatever 
they fancy. 

Disembodied Egos "dress", but their apparel is a mental 
product, so are their buildings. The raiments of the spir- 
itual spheres are "white", those of the material spirit-world 
"deep gray" and frequently resemble those accustomed to 
while still in the body, while those of the earthsphere are 
"black", but many of these souls are often "nude". 

The raiments of the spiritual spheres differ as much in 
radiance as the apparel of the material spiritworld differ, 
the difference being due to the mental condition attained, 
and while each of the spiritual spheres has its own indi- 
vidual symbols of purpose, the material spiritworld mixes 
its natural colors constantly in accordance with the law of 



60 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

attraction, therefore one must thoroughly understand the 
laws of vibration before one can learn to discern between 
them. 

Under the laws of vibration we understand the princi- 
ples which rule or govern disembodied and discarnate Egos 
and the causes produced by them either in regard to their 
effects upon the disembodied, discarnate or embodied mind, 
as well as in regard to their effects upon tihe various sections 
of the soul body and corresponding sections of the human 
body. These laws are not very hard to understand, yet the 
greatest number of mediums have not the slightest knowl- 
edge of these laws, although they may at times talk about 
such laws, referring to "good and bad vibrations", but 
should they really see their controls they would learn to un- 
derstand that the "good vibrations" they speak of are "cos- 
mic vibrations", and that the "bad vibrations" are either 
produced by the antagonism of people present or those of 
higher forces, either of which is capable of making the me- 
dium feel quite uncomfortable through the influence of his 
controls. 

Mediums often claim that when they make a "spirit- 
contact" they feel like receiving a "slight blow or knock on 
the back of their head", while others go into "convulsions 
and spasms", all of which prove either that the respective 
medium is still in the developing stage or that he delib- 
erately "fakes" these effects for the purpose of impressing 
a credulous audience. In the properly developed medium 
the contact is established without "blows or knocks" and 
while the contact or change of contact is felt, it manifests 
itself only in the most gentle way, by a very gentle touch of 
a brain center, and this is so even where the mediumship of 
reincarnation is established. 

Influences which affect the back of the head, work with 
the Medulla Oblongata, hence with the animal brain center 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 6l 

and they affect also the Solar Plexus and therefore the 
stomach and the sex of the medium. 

Under the vibratory laws the presence of a disembodied 
Ego manifests itself in various parts of the sensitive human 
body, mostly in the beginning in the spinal column, pro- 
ducing there a "cold feeling'', which sometimes may pro- 
duce cold feeling throughout the body. Later this feeling 
will affect only certain parts of the body, and those effects 
one must study in order to learn to understand the laws of 
vibration, and with this knowledge applied one cannot only 
learn to counteract all lower vibrations but also learn "to 
discern between spirits". 

Even the best psychic cannot always see souls, although 
he may feel their presence, for much depends upon the 
psychic's mental condition as well as upon a soul's own force 
or ability to manifest. Nevertheless they register their pres- 
ence in the organism of the psychic, consequently he can — 
by allowing their vibrations to reach his soul body — judge 
their mind or soul quality and thus either reject or accept 
their presence. 

Vibrations felt from the eyebrows to the middle brain 
are always good, but are spiritual only when affecting the 
Cerebellum alone, and this is a matter of experience and 
profound study, hence their results must decide the case. 
Vibrations which penetrate the section of the chest around 
the third and fourth ribs are, while not bad, not always wise 
to invite, it be then that they affect the heart and produce 
the feeling of motherly love or of a strong friendship. Vi- 
brations affecting the Solar Plexus and the abdomen to the 
hips are always bad and so are those which affect the sex, 
as well as those which affect the lower parts of the legs and 
the feet. 

Next to the laws of vibration of importance is the 
knowledge of the colors involuntarily produced by all dis- 



62 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

embodied and discarnate Egos when coming in contact with 
man's atmosphere. 

The five principal colors of the earthsphere and the ma- 
terial spiritworld are: i) Red: Sensuality; 2) Yellow- 
brown (gray amber) ; Creed; 3). Dull Olive-green: Decep- 
tion; 4) Deep Gray-blue: Greed; 5) Light Gray-blue: 
Emotion. 

Black, usually intermingled with these five colors, is the 
fundamental color of the earthsphere and is always seen in 
the lowest type of disembodied Egos, who can be classed as 
"demons", but who usually — outside of their selfish and 
sinister purposes — treat their mediums fairly well. 

The colors of the spiritual spheres are: 1) Light Gol- 
den amber: Love; 2) Light Pinkish blue: Justice; 3) 
Lavender: Faith; 4) Light purple : Reason; 5) Emerald 
green: Contentment, (also aura of spiritual fertility); 6) 
White : Spirituality. 

These colors never intermingle, but always show dis- 
tinctly each color for itself, however they may be shown 
upon the white raiment, and then, either form a star (the 
symbol of spiritual teaching) or they may form a sym- 
bolic embroidery and thus testify to the spheric work of the 
respective discarnate Ego. 

No disembodied Ego can change the color of its en- 
vironment, although as stated, they intermingle their color 
in accordance with the law of attraction. For instance : An 
Ego of the material spiritworld who is religiously inclined 
produces involuntarily the color "yellow brown", but will 
change that color to "light gray blue" if it becomes emo- 
tional, or if it should allow itself to become tempted by car- 
nal desires the color would instantly change to "red", but 
as long as the Ego has its' abode in the material spiritworld 
it cannot change its color to any hues of the spiritual 
spheres. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 63 

There is nothing extraordinary about these colors, for 
the aura of man manifests the same colors in accordance 
with man's character and feeling. 

The danger can, therefore, be clearly perceived for the 
souls of the material spiritworld are still ''material", con- 
sequently still in the state of temptation by their own de- 
sires as well as by the desires of man with whom they come 
in contact. In this lies the chief reason why one's own 
blood relation seldom endeavor to come in contact with one, 
and why there is consternation in the other world regarding 
such a contact. For this reason those of the better ad- 
vanced souls of the material spiritworld who have become 
teachers and desire to teach upon earth, always have with 
them their own teachers or guides when they select a mortal 
for their purposes, receiving from them strength for their 
work. 

Wherever a reincarnation takes place, almost in all 
cases the medium's ignorance is to blame ; even so, there 
are few cases which cannot be corrected, provided however, 
that the respective medium is willing to go through the 
process of correction, for many reincarnating souls are as 
ignorant as their mediums and are often only too eager to 
listen and to change their way, therefore nobody should call 
such unfortunate souls "evil spirits" without having the 
proper knowledge of things pertaining to the other world, 
but rather exercise charity, for how does any human being 
know what he himself may do after awakening in the world 
of shadow and despair? 

True, there are only too many souls held within the 
earthsphere who, in order to live again upon earth, force 
themselves in seances and developing circles upon the ig- 
norant and foolish, and who, after they made the contact 
will fight all endeavors of the mortal possessed by them to 
free himself, and who also proclaim through their mediums 



64 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

false doctrines, but under the laws of attraction they cannot 
possess anyone unless they are "invited" or find some one 
of their own character. 

There are in the material spiritworld many schools and 
creeds, the same as upon earth, hence the name "material 
spiritworld". These various schools differ one from the 
other as much — and in some respects even more so — as 
do those upon earth, but they are, of course, a thought unit 
in regard to the survival of man. Their principal teaching 
is that philosophy of life which appeals to them most and 
this contrary to the direct knowledge they have of the 
spirit per se. 

There are then the schools of the most ancient phi- 
losophies as well as those of modern thought and, of course 
theology, and the disembodied thinker can take his choice 
the same way as upon earth. Re-entering the earthplane to 
become active in their own behalf and that of man, they 
keep on despoiling man's mind the same way they did while 
still in their mortal body, and a great number of them are 
clever impostors, who represent themselves to credulous 
mediums as ancient philosophers and prominent people of 
the present time, or as relatives and friends, which proves 
that mediums are also clever impostors and deceivers if 
they claim to be controlled by Socrates, Plato or any other 
ancient or modern sage. Such mediums know nothing of 
the law of attraction and have, in fact, very little knowledge 
of the psychic laws and prove with such statements that 
they are not clairvoyant. 

The psychic facts are that many ancient philosophers 
have absolutely ceased to exist as thinkers, while others havs 
long since "fallen asleep", that those who are still active are 
so only in their own spheric condition and are only too glad 
to be done with the world of man. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 65 

It is more than foolish to believe that ancient philoso- 
phers attach themselves to people of our time, and if the 
mediums who claim such an attachment would understand 
the psychic laws they would not make such silly claims. Of 
course making themselves believe that departed souls can 
speak any language they make up their mind to speak, me- 
diums of the most uneducated type flatter themselves 
with the' idea that master-minds like Socrates, Plato 
and others are their controls. It is quite natural that this 
class of people do not know that under the law of attraction 
not even a sage of our time could be drawm to them, that 
their own mental condition would prevent such an asso- 
ciation. 

Mediums who make such claims belong to the same 
class of silly people who make themselves believe that the 
soul-mind of McKinley, Grant and other illustrious men 
"move the table" for them, or deliver "Spirit-Lectures" 
through them. 

Man's mind remains actively concerned in world affairs 
only a comparatively short time, and outgrows the earth 
after from 75 to 150 years, falling asleep many times during 
these periods. Many disembodied Egos will sleep until 
awakened by that force which no human being can compre- 
hend. Thus also many of the lower mentalities will never 
awaken, but remain extinct. 

The ancient philosophies which arc taught still upon 
earth by "Spirits", (masters) are taught by modern disciples 
of these cults who, after their aw r akening are drawn — un- 
der the law of attraction — to the very groups or schools in 
which they educated themselves, and knowing the mental 
makeup of the credulous they represent themselves through 
their mediums as "Ancient Masters," but while they can de- 
ceive their mediums (who are not clairvoyant) and follow- 
ers they cannot deceive a psychic, for they cannot change 



66 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

their fundamental color and although they may "dress 
themselves in Hindu garments" their anima betrays them, 
being that of a white person. 

True, there are a few western (white) mediums who 
have Hindu controls, having adopted the Hindu Doctrines, 
nevertheless the Hindu prefers his own race and has very 
little use for the white race. 

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

Mediumship as we have already seen, is an association 
of minds. The average human intellect cannot make a pic- 
ture of the actual process of mediumship, hence a super- 
stitious mind thinks at once of some "devilish being", in- 
visible to man and, of course, pictures this "supernatural 
creature w T ith horns, a tail and one of its feet cloven". 
Hearing of possessions as related in the Scriptures, the fer- 
tile human mind wonders how such a thing can get into the 
human body, but remembering to have seen a picture which 
portrayed the "driving out of a devil or demon", showing 
the respective imp escaping through the mouth of a pos- 
sessed mortal, the dogmatically despoiled mind comes at 
once to the conclusion that these "evil spirits" enter the 
human body through the mouth also. Absurd is no word 
for such a conception. 

We deal here with vibrations and therefore with life. 
Life vibrates in the cells of the human organism, in millions 
of atoms in and around the human .body, and in vibrations 
produces this which is called "Animal Magnetism." 

Animal magnetism is but a small part of that electric 
force which is called Nature. Vibrations, being either nega- 
tive or positive, affect the human organism (brains) in ac- 
cordance with its willingness to attract or detract one or the 
other. Thoughtwaves sent out by the brains vibrate first 
in and around the head and produce thus in the electro- 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 67 

magnetic vapor of the mind "Thought Pictures' 1 which in 
turn vibrate outward and unite with corresponding waves 
outside man's personal atmosphere, holding themselves in 
these vibrations as long as their own force remains intact, 
or as long as the cosmic or ethereal vibrations from without 
unite their relative force with them and thereby they become 
gradually a part of the one or the other, consequently a 
unit with them under the law of attraction or affinity, help- 
ing to build thus the "World Anima" (world soul), which 
in Eph. ch. 2 v. 2 is called "the Prince of the Power of the 
Air" and contains the various vibratory conditions of the 
earthsphere, and material spiritworld. 

The world anima is greatly composed of cosmic vibra- 
tions, which are not bad in their fundamentals, but became 
bad due not only to man's thinking but also due to man's 
mind manifesting there in the disembodied Egos who — 
under the law of gravity — are held within it and vibrate 
upon earth. 

Like attracts like, therefore man's thought pictures are 
the first attractions to all disembodied Egos. Man's brains 
are but a wireless apparatus and as such receptive to the vi- 
brations from without, but his receptiveness depends en- 
tirely upon the condition of his brains, respectively upon the 
sensitiveness of his soul which works either through the 
Medulla Oblongata or the Cerebellum. 

The natural man, producing only thoughts natural to 
his condition, will as a matter of consequence think chiefly 
concerning his body, hence being strongly ruled by the First 
Life Principle, his thoughts will be greatly influenced 
through and by animal desires, and thus his perceptive 
brain, or thinker, coming under the control of the Medulla 
Oblongata, disregards the Spiritual Principle, and under 
this condition the Cerebellum becomes closed to all ethereal 



68 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

waves, and the living soul, the essence of God, darkened by 
the vapors of the anima. 

This condition does not necessarily constitute an evil 
state, for a moral condition can exist in that state. How- 
ever where this state does exist, the Spiritual Principle can- 
not work itself out, consequently in that state man's brain 
will attract "cosmic waves" and come — unknown to him- 
self — thus in contact with disembodied Egos of the earth- 
sphere. 

Spiritually inclined people have by their own nature 
more or less opened their Cerebellum, hence they are xnore 
receptive to ethereal waves, although at times their Medulla 
Oblongata will rule their perceptive brain more than the 
Cerebellum, and they have the advantage, or disadvantage, 
to be more or less sensitive to both the cosmic and ethereal 
waves and thus more receptive to thought pictures from 
without, commonly called "visions", produced in or before 
them during sleep or during full consciousness by disem- 
bodied or discarnate Egos who may be drawn to them al- 
ternately under the law of attraction. 

The natural man may logically become interested in his 
unknown spiritual self, and through this interest change his 
natural condition by degrees and thus, changing the vapor 
of his anima, clear his Cerebellum, thereby making this 
braincenter sensitive to ethereal waves. The natural man 
can by this process — like the spiritually inclined man — 
develop his brain of vibration so that he can gradually come 
into contact with disembodied Egos of his own plane and, 
acquiring the necessary knowledge required for this pur- 
pose, he can learn the truth of that which is called "Life." 

This truth must first of all manifest itself to the natural 
man in a way comprehensive to him, therefore "Physical 
Force Demonstrations" are the fundamentals which lead to 
the Higher Understanding. However, since the "thinker" 



THE PSYCHOW)GV OF MEDIUMSH IP 69 

of the natural and spiritually inclined man is always more 
or less influenced by ideas already formed, the result ol 
these manifestations differs, consequently the knowledge re- 
ceived not necessarily leads to the truth, but may cause a 

diversion of it by natural attraction of disembodied EgOS 
whose mind either runs in the same channels of the respec 
tive person, or who pleases that person with upholding his 
ideas until the contact is established. 

A sensitive person may at times feel that a certain thing 
happened to him once before and unable to remember the 
time and places when and where it happened, may, influenced 
by reincarnation ideas come to the conclusion that these 
ideas are correct, and thus either draw to itself disembodied 
Egos, who believing in such theories, attempt to establish a 
contact for such purposes, hence "thinking into that per- 
son's atmosphere" produce the very feeling previously held 
.by him; or the respective person may, during a profound 
sleep, have come into contact with cosmic waves affecting 
his anima most, and thus later involuntarily "recall these 
thought pictures" without remembering such a dream. 

In studying the psychic laws and by coming in actual 
contact with the various disembodied Egos one will find that 
the laws of vibrations prove beyond a doubt the correctness 
of the foregoing, and that Telepathy is the fundamental 
law of mediumship. Knowing this it becomes clear that a 
great number of so-called "spirit messages" do not come 
from the souls from which they are supposed to come, that 
they are in reality "thought pictures" produced by the sit- 
ters, and that the respective medium is not far enough de- 
veloped to understand the laws governing mediumship and 
is itself "elementary", consequently controlled by "elemen- 
tary souls" and not clairvoyant in the sense of the word, 
although he may be honest and believe he controls, who 
may be able to foretell things. 



70 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

It is foolish to sit in so-called "developing circles" pre- 
sided over by "elementary mediums", for only elementary 
souls gather in such circles, and since those who thus at- 
tempt to develop a mediumship do not see the assembled 
disembodied Egos — who are eager to comply with the sit- 
ters' wishes — they may later find to their sorrow that the 
"controls" received are not at all what they imagined them 
to be, for the control's trespassing upon their body and mind 
will sooner or later open such a person's eyes. But once 
the contact is made, the damage to the soul is done, although 
the respective medium may not admit this fact. 

These elementary mediums frequently claim that "no 
good mediumship" can be had without "Indian controls", 
and usually they claim to have "Indian chiefs". IF A 
STATISTIC COULD BE MADE IN REGARD TO THE 
NUMBER OF THESE INDIAN CHIEFS ACTIVELY 
CONCERNED WITH MEDIUMS, ONE WOULD 
FIND MORE THAN ALL THE INDIAN TRIBES 
EVER HAD. Very few mediums have Indian controls, 
and the few who do have such controls have very common 
"bucks and squaws" from the reservations, most of them 
speaking a fairly good English. 

A number of mediums who claim to have Indian 
squaws for controls claim also to be controlled by Indian 
girls of tender age, who while talking through them speak 
English in a very childish fashion often using the jargon 
of the street urchin. Such mediums usually claim that 
these Indian girls are with them ever since they became 
mediums (sometimes twenty years) and forget that they 
claim children grow in the Spiritworld — which is true — 
that therefore even an Indian girl, growing in the other 
world, would of necessity cease to be the silly little fool 
they, the mediums, make them. The speech and action of 
these "assumed Indian girls" is that of the medium, the 






THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP J\ 

controls, to please their medium, simply follow the me- 
dium's thoughts, and change their tactics as soon the me- 
dium learns to understand the folly of her mind. In most 
all cases the "Indian Controls" become then suddenly "Com- 
mon White Folks". The same is the case where Indian 
Chiefs, Squaws, Hindu-Masters and Ancient Philosophers 
ctr. are concerned. 

Now let us ask this : Would you go to an Indian res- 
ervation and pick out an Indian and say to the Indian of 
your choice : "Come with me, my home is your home, you 
can be with me from now on until I die, live with me, sleep 
with me, be with me no matter where I am"? Of course 
you would not do anything of the kind, for you w r ould be 
afraid and you would be ashamed of yourself. Yet you, 
listening to foolish mediums, do the very thing by inviting 
an Indian to be your control, and you do this "in the dark", 
for you do not even see that Indian when you admit him 
as your partner. Would you invite any stranger to your 
house in this way? — Of course you would not, but to have 
a mediumship you do this, although you do not even see 
that stranger ! You are willing to take your chances, be- 
cause in the first place your mind has become so despoiled 
that you believe any medium, and because you have but one 
thing in mind, towit : To be able to foretell things. Know 
this : "The price you pay for any elementary mediumship 
is not worth the things you will receive from your elemen- 
tary controls, that you will, in the after life be chained to 
them as you chained them to you during your earthlife, 
that you — like they — will be "earthbound". In this a 
double responsibility rests with you, namely first : "the re- 
sponsibility of your own soul", second : "the responsibility 
of the soul or souls you, by your persistency, drew into the 
mire of vour own life." 






*]2. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

The closer the mind vapor of a disembodied Ego comes 
to a person's head, the more the thought waves of that soul 
can impress the mind of that person. Table-tilting, the 
Ouija board and the kind will with the help of the animal 
magnetism of the sitters produce a closer magnetic contact 
between the factors involved, for during this action the 
anima of the sitters becomes temporarily enlarged, hence 
"overmagnetized", a state which allows the disembodied 
Egos to become magnetized by the thus electrified atmos- 
phere of the sitters. In this state the mind vapor of a dis- 
embodied Ego, who desires to work with one of the sitters, 
can rather suddenly become drawn into the enlarged anima 
of that sitter, and since the anima, having then reached the 
limit of its expansion, will shrink at once, such a soul will 
be imprisoned within that sitter's anima, consequently that 
person will have "two minds in one head". 

This condition will affect various people in different 
ways, and may produce acute insanity in some, while in 
others the effect will be temporary only, and then usually is 
called "temporary insanity" by those who do not understand 
these things. As previously pointed out, this may happen 
in two different ways, all depending upon the character of 
the sitter. We deal here either with an "Obsession" or with 
a "Possession", two terms, usually applied to the condition 
produced. 

An obsession, so called, takes place if — as shown 
above — a disembodied Ego accidentally becomes drawn 
into man's anima above the Cerebellum, while a possession 
takes place if the same thing happens through the Medulla 
Oblongata. 

In all cases of obsession one will find a more or less 
religious controversy going on between the soul imprisoned 
and the afflicted person's mind, but gradually the imprisoned 
Ego, realizing its condition, will try to escape from it and 



i 1 1 1 : psYCholoGV OF Mi:i)iUMsii ip 73 

unable to do so become more involved with the now suffer- 
ing human mind, consequently one will accuse the other of 
having trespassed which usually produces a melancholy 
state. Should at this stage anyone attempt to interfere, 
serious consequences may result, for the disembodied Ego, 
having to some extent become "one with the medium", suf- 
fers the. medium's irritability and rejects all such interfer- 
ences to the point of marked hostility against those who try 
to antagonize the obsessed. In most all cases the "repeat- 
ing of thoughts" will begin at that stage and this has a very 
agonizing effect upon the medium's mind, producing at 
times an almost paralyzing condition of the speechcenters 
as well as a "holding of the tongue while silently forming a 
letter or word". Under this condition the medium is unable 
to discern between his own thoughts and those of the im- 
prisoned Ego, hence such a sufferer will frequently express 
his thoughts aloud, which is the only way he can recognize 
these as his own. This period as a rule takes but a few 
weeks, but may take several months and even longer if the 
suffering person is not carefully handled. Acute insanity 
may be the result if a doctor is called to attend the case, 
for doctors as well as psychologists and clergy, looking at 
such cases from their professional standpoint, do not un- 
derstand the psychology of the case, hence, applying the 
wrong methods, produce opposite results. If, however, a 
minister of the gospel is called, our advice is : do not think 
dogmatically, for you cannot "cure ills with dogmatic think- 
ing", but pray a silent earnest prayer for spiritual help for 
both suffering souls, holding the afflicted person's hands in 
yours during the oblation. In all cases of so-called obses- 
sion such ministering will have good results, but after this 
a psychic must be called, for he alone is able to properly 
adjust such cases. If a psychic is called when the first signs 
of apparent irresponsibility make themselves known, a 



74 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

change to the better will be experienced within a few hours 
and if the medium follows his advice, the obsession will be 
ended within a few weeks. 

A so-called obsession will in almost all cases evolve an 
excellent spiritual mediumship if the afflicted one is willing 
to learn the psychic laws and aspires the higher things and 
is not associating with "elementary mediums". If, how- 
ever, the medium's mind rejects the higher things his men- 
tal condition will remain as it was, although the severe suf- 
fering may not be experienced again, because the impris- 
oned Ego has finally been able to release itself from the 
constant direct contact and now learned to associate itself 
with its medium's mind more freely and without any visible 
hardship to his mind but, such a mediumship involves always 
the danger of a "bodily contact", and since there are always 
more than one control to contend with, such a contact is 
always bad even if it produces a certain sublimity of mind, 
and may lead to the other contact called a "possession". 

A possession, if not corrected in time, will establish a 
Re-Incarnation. The "possessing Ego" forces itself into the 
human anima through the Medulla Oblongata, and ruling 
the brains from this braincenter, partakes on its medium's 
life thus. The first effects produced by a Reincarnation are 
almost the same experienced during the first period of ob- 
session but even in that early stage the medium will feel 
a distinct mental depression and frequently severe pains 
from the middle of the forehead to the sides and especially 
in the back of the head, while an obsessio'n produces such 
a pain only in the top of the head. Drowsiness, disorder 
of the stomach and fatigue are the first results of such a 
contact, all of which are caused by the possessing Ego's 
manipulations with the medium's animal desires. The 
course of a possession is almost the same of an obsession, 
ho,wever there are no religious controversies going on be- 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSIUP 75 

tween the respective minds, for here the animal body be- 
comes the first consideration, hence, playing with the me- 
dium's desires, the body is the object of conversation and 
the ''pound of flesh" acquired by the possessing Ego is the 
price requested and paid for in lieu of value (?) received. 
The actual direct effects of a possession usually last about 
from four to six weeks if handled carefully, but the secret 
effects will remain as long as the Reincarnation exists. As a 
rule such cases are impossible for a clergy to handle, for 
reincarnating souls are mostly not only very clever, but 
also very hostile to Christianity. Being well versed in the 
Eastern Philosophies they will hold their medium's mind 
locked and frequently dull it so that it loses all will-power 
and becomes unable to answer the most civil question, be- 
sides this some of the more sinister kind are ever ready to 
inflict whatever injuries they can inflict upon those whom 
they consider "intruders". The most sincere prayer of a 
minister would but arouse the antagonism of these Egos and 
this always has a very bad effect on the mental and physical 
condition of the possessed. Even a psychic has to be care- 
ful in such cases, but as soon as they realize that the psychic 
sees them they begin to feel the vibrations of his guidances 
and begin to fear, consequently they are then ready to listen, 
and once open to argument they may be convinced of the 
wrong committed by them and then helped, however, if the 
possessed person objects to the treatment the case will be 
hopeless, respectively unworthy of a psychic's further con- 
sideration. 

The use of hypnotism is — as a rule — while effective 
in some cases, in most cases too dangerous, because hyp- 
notism may destroy the magnetic connections in some and in 
others make them stronger, therefore instead of being a 
remedy may become the cause for new magnetic connec- 
tions, which may be worse than those apparently destroyed. 



j6 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

Hypnotism never will fully re-establish the former self, 
neither will a psychic be able to accomplish this, for when 
the magnetic pathways of the mind were once opened they 
will never be fully closed. 

In obsession as well as in possession we have but the 
fundamental condition of mediumship, and in either case it 
is up to the medium to work out the proper development, 
but since most persons thus afflicted know practically noth- 
ing of the laws governing such matters and in many cases 
rely on the advice given them by elementary mediums, the 
final result is always the same, namely, bad. 

The "over magnetized condition" of the anima which is 
partly responsible for a so-called obsession and possession, 
can be seen by a good psychic. In an obsession the extreme 
activity of the Cerebellum enlarges the anima above this 
brain, appearing much like a 'swelling". In most all cases 
the color of the aura is — in the beginning — still red- 
brown, i. e. natural, but begins to change to a more yellow- 
brown from above the Cerebellum to the Medulla Oblongata 
as soon the reconstruction of the medium's mind has begun, 
and this makes itself directly apparent in the activity of the 
animal brain, which now becomes changed by the soul 
forces from without who begin the process of spiritualizing 
the medium's soul. The time required for this work de- 
pends entirely upon the medium's willingness and ability to 
understand the new issue, but — as a rule — the obsession 
is ended when this stage is reached, and in almost all cases 
a complete breakdown precedes this change, causing severe 
crying spells. After the change is made the medium's aura 
resembles more or less a "dull gray-gold" and since a spir- 
itual medium has his "freedom of will", this color is main- 
tained only as long as his thinking .is in harmony with his 
spiritualguides. Spiritual mediums are people subject to the 
la\vs of nature, but not controlled by their anima, conse- 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP JJ 

quently they are "man" and not "saints". This is clearly 
brought out in Acts, ch. 14, v. 15: "We also are nun of 
like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should 
turn from these vanities unto the living God . . ." The 
term "saints" as used in the Scriptures implies the state of 
mind under the Control of Spiritual Guides, hence, specifi- 
cally, to the Guides. 

The more such control takes place the less such me- 
diums can commit the coarser sins, and wherever in a spir- 
itual medium a complete and permanent control takes place, 
that medium is no longer of the world of man, consequently 
becomes "unfit to live in that world". Such a state is called 
a "full Incarnation", and this constitutes a "Permanent 
Transfiguration", but does not mean that the thus "trans- 
figured spiritual guide" changes the face of the respective 
mortal, although such a change at times is visible to those 
who developed clairvoyancy. 

Trance-Control produced by Spiritual Guides is the 
most sublime condition of mediumship. 

Being still a "human being", the fully developed spir- 
itual medium is not always in contact with his "main spir- 
itual guides", but has with him always "minor guides", souls 
of the better conditions of the material spirit world, who 
have overcome the flesh and who are his daily guidances. 
As a rule they envelop his body and produce a light gray 
vapor around it. Enveloping the medium thus, they can 
mentally talk with him much the same w T ay mortals converse 
one with the other, only their conversations are not heard 
by an outsider. This is called a "permanent contact". With 
this contact the discarnate Egos can work with all brain- 
functions of their medium, hence they can use his voice, if 
they so desire, and talk through him while he is absolutely 
conscious, however, he can at any time stop this at will, for, 
as stated above, a spiritual medium retains his own will. 



78 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

This light gray vapor around the psychic's head 
changes its color whenever Trance-Control becomes estab- 
lished. During the state of "reception" the gray color of 
the daily guides takes on the lavender hue, due to the vi- 
brations produced by the spiritual guide descending upon 
the psychic. This is the phenomenon experienced by the 
Apostles, and known as the "Pentecost" — the descending 
of the Holy Ghost. 

The Holy Ghost — Essence of the Spirit of God — is 
in all souls of the Spiritual Spheres and manifests itself 
everywhere the same way, namely as a "Light of the Spir- 
itual Environments", but the "Gifts of this Essence" differ, 
as Paul brought out distinctly. (I Cor. xii.) 

The idea of the "Halo" sprung from this phenomenon, 
for during the activity of the guides they fully envelop the 
head of the psychic and show their spiritual color around 
his head, producing a "halo" of from two to three and four 
inches. 

The same is the case in the material mediumships, but 
here the colors shown are those of the material environ- 
ments and those of the earthsphere. 

In cases of possession the "overmagnetized condition" 
of the anima is found on the back of the head, on the lower 
part of the skull, resembling also a "swelling". Here, how- 
ever, will be noticed a distinct difference in the coloring of 
the aura, for the possessing Ego, manifesting in the deep 
gray-blue color, changes the human red-brown aura to its 
own color, turning it into deep red above and in front of 
the head. The general condition produced by a possession 
is nearly the same as produced by an obsession, differing in 
the result as shown. 

Soul or Spirit Lights are portraying the environment 
of the manifesting souls. They consist of Nucleus (Ego), 
Soulbody and Aura, appearing always in the form of an 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP /Q 

oval. The spiritualized Ego always manifests in "light 
golden amber", its soulbody shows always the "lavender" 
color and the aura remains always of a scintillating golden 
hue. Such a light testifies to the presence of a greatly ad- 
vanced spiritual teacher. 

The nucleus of the general oval of spiritually developed 
souls is "light purple", the color of the soulbody is "light 
pinkish blue" and its aura shows always "light purple". 
These lights are produced by spiritual teachers who teach in 
the material spirit world and also man upon earth. 

Lights of this color testify to their harmony in God 
which they teach. The Emerald Oval, seldom seen by ma- 
terial mediums, is a great factor in the development of a 
spiritual mediumship, for it always sends pacifying w r aves 
into the soul of the developing mortal and is the chief aid 
in his distress produced by the developing process. The 
nucleus of this light is a light golden amber, the color of 
the soulbody is emerald green, while its aura is of a scin- 
tillating light purple. 

Spiritual teachers of the lower spiritual spheres pro- 
duce a "blue-gray" light, blue-gray being the color of their 
soulbody. The nucleus of this oval is a very light gray-amber, 
while its aura.show r s in a little darker hue of the same 
color. These souls often produce "stars", usually "clusters 
of stars" linked together. As teachers they are of great 
value to a spiritual medium, for being closely connected with 
the material spirit world, where they teach Christ, they 
have with them some of the most developed souls of that 
world, souls who have outgrown creeds and who, becoming 
active upon earth, help their teachers in various ways, be- 
coming thus "minor guides" or "associated guides" to the 
spiritual medium. It are such souls who usually bear the 
hardships connected with a development, because they are 
the nearest to the developing person, hence one of them can 



80 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

easily enough become temporarily imprisoned in that per- 
son's anima. 

Thought- Vapors, frequently seen in developing circles 
and seances, represent most all stages of soul-life, hence it is 
often hard to say what they may produce, although a good 
psychic can discern their vibrations. Very often such a 
vapor appears where an apparition is molding itself. 

People who go through a severe process of develop- 
ment will see at times a "bundle of crystals". This phe- 
nomenon is always produced by spiritual souls, whose elec- 
tro-magnetic force produces these crystals and sends them 
against such disembodied Egos as may try to make use of 
the medium's weakened condition and attempt to force a 
contact. Where such a contact has been made, the force 
of the crystals will weaken it and, if the medium accepts the 
process of correction, the contact will be changed gradually 
by the application of this force, but such a change will se- 
verely affect that person for at least a few days and nights. 
Re-incarnating Egos tremble in the sight of this force, and 
it is this very force which will have much to do with the 
"destruction of the Prince of the Power of the Air." 

The "ball of fire" is another form of punitive force, 
used very frequently by all spiritual teachers against the in- 
habitants of the lower material spheres as a force of pro- 
tection whenever such becomes necessary for the purpose of 
either protecting themselves or their disciple against them. 
Both, the force of the crystals as well as the ball of fire, are 
used for the purpose of pacifying unruly souls of the lower 
vibrations or in sending them out of the atmosphere of a 
person. In either case, and especially in the latter case, the 
psychic through whom such work is done, must prepare his 
mind for the reception of the highest advanced soul capable 
to work through his organism, and this preparation means 
"prayer and fasting", thereby purifying his soul. 



I II I r>N CH( >LOG^ 01 M l. I'll' MSHIP 8l 

Having followed the process involved in developing 
mediumshif) it becomes clear that it once a contact is made, 
thai contact remains, and it is true that, after the human 
mind becomes accustomed to it and its results, both, contact 

and results can to a certain extent be minimized by the me- 
dium, 1)iH never eradicated. To minimize the contact and 
consequently the results means to pay as little attention as 
possible to it, to counteract the desire of the "inner voice" 
by not paying attention to it. This can be done, of course, 
only in the beginning of a contact, and then only at times, 
but as a whole the contact will not be less and the chances 
are that the respective disembodied Egos will reverse their 
tactics by becoming "silent partners" and thus partake of 
their medium's life just the same, and this without his 
knowledge. As long as the medium does not make the 
strongest efforts to overcome the bodily results of the con- 
tact by reasoning with his controls, and stubbornly refuses 
to confide in a spiritual medium, or refuses such a psychic's 
advice, that long the bodily contact and its results will re- 
main bad. Such a contact can be changed, and often the 
very controls who foolishly made the contact, can be shown 
a way to the better, in which case they, as well as the me- 
dium, will not only learn to appreciate one the other, but 
also advance together spiritually. 

Very frequently such controls need "mental activity", 
and therefore the stubborn refusal of the medium to give 
them the opportunity for it ceases the development and the 
contact made remains a physical contact. 

Life is activity, hence those disembodied Egos who make 
a contact with the human mind desire activity, each in ac- 
cordance with its mental ability and degree of advancement 
achieved in the other world. Thus then we learn to judge 
souls by their activity and by the things they aspire. One 
can, however, not judge them by the first result of the 



82 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

contact, for in the beginning of the development one or 
the other of these souls is too closely connected with the 
medium's mind, hence may be forced to partake of his life, 
and this state always changes after the respective Ego can 
"move more freely", i. e. after it can leave the medium's 
anima and re-enter it at will. 

It is entirely up to the medium to choose the way of 
his development. To stop or to counteract a development 
simply means either to be satisfied with a lower form of 
mediumship, or that the respective medium, having made 
the contact foolishly, misjudges the results and, not know- 
ing what mediumship really is and means, makes himself 
believe that by paying as little attention as possible to his 
controls they would retire, which of course they will not do. 
Such people only prolong their foolishness and gain nothing 
by it. The proper way for them is to have "a heart to heart 
talk with their controls", to ask them: "What are your 
chief activities, and how do you expect to be able to carry 
them out with me ?" — This at once creates confidence and 
in most all cases an entirely new life begins for the medium, 
for once the opportunity is given them, they will in many 
cases cease to be controls and become guides, but the me- 
dium must be willing to go through the cleansing process 
before such can be achieved. 

We make a distinct difference between "controls" and 
"guides". Controls are disembodied Egos who control 
chiefly the nerve centers of the medium, and who in the 
practice of the older schools in mediumship allow their me- 
diums to fool themselves with the belief that they, the 
mediums, control them, while in reality these controls are in 
command of every nerve center of their medium's body and 
thus control not only his body but also his mind and soul 
every minute of his life. It is an old adage that "the Blind 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 83 

cannot guide the Blind", and all controls are spiritually 
blind. Guides are "Spiritual Beings". 

Mediumship must be a friendship, not an enmity. As 
long as mediumship produces but the slightest feeling of 
enmity it cannot produce good results. Under "friendship" 
we do not understand a feeling of common attraction in 
things pertaining to animal life. We understand with this 
term that sublime feeling which exists among unselfish peo- 
ple who are ever ready to help their friends as well as needy 
and w r orthy strangers, giving them the best advice possible 
and help them materially wherever such is required ; we 
further understand under friendship that "mental leader- 
ship" which aspires and inspires the "Highest in Man" and 
leads man's soul to that Spirituality which unites in Christ. 
The friendship created by the material mediumship is that 
of "Affinity" and produces the same results cases of "affin- 
ity" produce in the every day life. 

Mediumship which makes "Simons" of mediums is of 
the lowest order and while such may have so-called good 
results from a material standpoint, it has but bad results 
from a psychologic as well as from a spiritual viewpoint, 
for man's soul cannot advance to the spiritual spheres as 
long as it is earthbound in material desires, hence all ma- 
terial mediumships lead first to the earthsphere and from 
there to the lower vibrations of the material spiritworld, 
and only too often to the lowest condition of the earth- 
sphere, consequently THE PRICE PAID FOR SUCH A 
MEDIUMSHIP IS THE LOSS OF ONE'S SOUL, THE 
REWARD OF WHICH IS "SELF-CONDEMNATION" 
WHICH MAY LEAD TO "EXTINCTION". We say 
therefore with Paul : "Set your affection on things above, 
not on things on the earth". (Col., ch. 3, v. 2.) 



84 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

Mediumship has many phases which divided into two 
main developments are : i ) Physical Force Mediumship, 
2) Mental Force Mediumship. 

Physical Force Mediumship takes in all developments 
which deal directly with the Medulla Oblongata (animal 
brain), hence all mediums whose controls work with and 
through their medium's vitality are Physical Force Me- 
diums, even if they have developed "Trance-Control". 

The Ouija board, Table- (tilting) or anything of that 
kind are physical force instruments, and while in most all in- 
stances necessary for the purpose of creating a contact, only 
the lower vibration souls continue with such contrivances 
after the contact is established. 

Mental Force is not in all instances far enough devel- 
oped to be free from physical force, hence we have in such 
a condition a state between the two main developments, and 
this state is always a "sensual state", consequently a state 
of "Re-Incarnation". 

Slatewriting, Trumpet — as well as the so-called Ma- 
terialization Mediumship come under this headline, and are 
the most spurious forms of mediumship. 

The Direct Mental Mediumship can be either a Re- 
Incarnation or an Incarnation. The term "Incarnation" 
means "to become flesh", but it does not mean "to take on 
nature". The scriptural term "the word became flesh" 
means that the Essence of God manifested itself through 
the brains (mind) of man (Jesus) and thus became "audi- 
ble to man". The expression "flesh" is either a wrong in- 
terpretation or was used by the scriptural writer in want of 
a better word signifying the idea pictured. We can thus 
then clearly perceive the "two natures" in Jesus, and know 
in Jesus the man (son of man) and in Christ the Spirit or 
Soul (son of God), the former being the "flesh", the latter 
the "word". 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 85 

Incarnation is the opposite of Re-Incarnation. The 
term "to re-incarnate" implies "to again become flesh", 
hence "to again take on the nature (desires) of the flesh". 
In Re-Incarnation like in Incarnation "the word becomes 
flesh", respectively "audible", but in the former the "word" 
signifies the expression of the still natural, hence undevel- 
oped (non-spiritual) mind, which now took on the nature 
of man and, working through the Medulla Oblongata, rules 
man's brains. Living thus in man's mind the re-incarnating 
Ego becomes one with man's Ego, consequently creates a 
soul and mind unit in the flesh, while in the latter such a 
unit exists only in the soul, therefore we have in Incarna- 
tion a "Spiritual Unit" only, while in Re-Incarnation we 
have an "Absolute Mental-Physical Union". 

All mediumships are based upon Telepathy, hence me- 
diumship is a matter of mind, and its results depend almost 
entirely upon the mental makeup of those who aspire it. 

Psychologists frequently use the terms "subjective and 
objective mind", and especially when Spiritualism is dis- 
coursed these two minds are made responsible by them for 
the manifestations produced by disembodied Egos. 

If we apply the terms "subjective" and "objective" to 
the intellectual force of man, we take for granted that man 
is a "Duality", hence has two minds. Now mind is but the 
net result or unit of thoughts, therefore the brains are the 
generator of thoughts, and since man in his natural state 
is a "three brain animal", the thought unit of man depends 
entirely upon the force which vibrates in or through this 
generator. 

Admitting the existence of a subjective and objective 
mind, we must have a cause, hence a proof for the ex- 
istence of either, and this proof — we believe — no Psy- 
chologist of the Old or New School was ever able to produce, 



86 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

although either of them may have imagined the cause of 
their existence. 

Most Psychologists are rich in the power of imagina- 
tion and very poor in the power of investigation. 

The duality of the mind is caused by man having an 
anima or Animal Soul and a Living Soul, the former being 
the First Life Principle, the latter The Second Life Prin- 
ciple. The First Life Principle manifests itself within the 
animal brain (Medulla Oblongata), the Second Life Prin- 
ciple manifests within the brain of vibration (Cerebellum), 
which is the spiritual braincenter in contrast to the former, 
which is the animal braincenter. The third brain, the 
Cerebrum, is the "Thinker", respectively the Ego which, 
governed either by the First or Second Life Principle, re- 
mains a duality as long as it allows itself alternately influ- 
enced by one or the other and which is and often remains 
what one or the other principle makes of it, the cause for 
this being mostly a matter of inheritance as well as of en- 
vironment. 

Both Principles or Souls are contained in the generative 
force, therefore Character is a matter of Generation first 
and becomes a matter of Evolution afterwards. 

The cause of the objective mind is the animal brain, the 
cause of the subjective mind is the brain of vibration. But 
now we perceive clearly that the "Thinker", the Ego, being 
subjected to the one or the other, loses itself in the one or 
the other, therefore if the subjective mind becomes clouded 
by the objective mind, the spiritual braincenter responds 
only to "cosmic waves", consequently is non-responsive to 
spiritual vibrations, hence the Ego becomes the slave to the 
objective mind; or if the reverse is the case, then the sub- 
jective mind controls the objective mind and thereby 
changes the natural Ego into a "supernal Ego", spiritualiz- 
ing it thus. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 87 

Man consists of Matter, Anima and Soul. Man's Ego 
as the net result of this trinity manifests after awakening 
from physical death in "Anima and Soul". The anima pen- 
etrates and surrounds the mortal body, reflecting in its con- 
tour the color of its condition, which is called aura, and 
aiter physical death this anima becomes the "first soul 
body", resembling — when fully developed — its former 
mortal form. The anima by some called "Astral Body", by 
others "Desire Body", is the "Book of Life" upon which all 
chief desires and thoughts are deeply impressed. Memory, 
resting within the anima (Medulla Oblongata), makes the 
animal soul the "subconscious mind". 

The subjective mind when freed from the vapors of 
the anima spiritualizes the anima, hence the Thinker, and 
thus changes the aura. The Ego ruled by the subjective 
mind becomes enveloped by the vapors of the spiritualized 
anima which become more "ethereal", hence the Self-Con- 
sciousness enters the freedom of the spiritual principle and 
thus "reborn" becomes a "Living Soul", while the Ego ruled 
by the objective mind, being enveloped by the anima, re- 
mains manifesting in matter and is then subjected to the 
laws of gravity, hence "earthbound". 

The Oriental Religions, in contrast to Christianity, hold 
the Ego in the grip of the "objective mind", therefore, while 
"sublimal in reference to the objective", the Ego of the 
Oriental is held to the earth and manifests chiefly through 
"anima", respectively in a physical and not in a spiritual 
way. 

Mediumship produced with the help of the objective 
mind draws into the anima of that mind souls governed by 
the objective mind, hence such a mediumship is "astral" and 
as such includes all the troubles and desires of the astral or 
lower material spiritworld, and especially of the earth- 



88 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

sphere, and constitutes an "elementary mediumship", which 
enslaves man's soul to disembodied Egos unknown to him. 

Mediumship produced with the help of the subjective 
mind frees man's soul from the objective mind (as much 
as this is possible), and spiritualizing him, restores his Liv- 
ing Soul. In this state man ceases to be a "duality" (as 
much as this is possible), for now man becomes a "Spiritual 
Being". 

The chief development of mental mediumship is "Clair- 
voyance". To be "clairvoyant" means first of all to have 
one's senses so developed as to be able to bring them into 
harmony with the cosmic and ethereal vibrations and there- 
by, coming in contact with souls, see them either by way 
of "reflection" (mentally) or actually (with the physical 
eyes), or both. 

Clairvoyance, while claimed by nearly all mediums, can- 
not be developed by all who endeavor to receive it and is in 
all cases a "gift" given the medium by his guides or con- 
trols. Many mediums feel the presence of souls but cannot 
see them, and many who can see are limited and see only 
souls of their own spheric condition (seeing only whatever 
their controls allow them to see), while the greatest number 
of those who claim to be clairvoyant have never seen a soul 
in their life, their own controls included. 

A man, woman or child may be able to "forefeel 
things" and. not be a medium, or may at times have a clear 
perception, seeing things, either in the form of an apparition 
or as a vision, and yet not be a medium, and one may be 
a medium and never have a vision, never see an apparition, 
never come so in mental contact with the other world as 
to be able to be clairvoyant, the things told by such a me- 
dium being given him by his controls. 

In clairvoyance, like in all things pertaining to me- 
diumship, we deal with vibrations. All depends upon the 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 89 

innate sensitiveness of the middle brain (Cerebellum) and 
the purpose of the medium's controls. The mind can be 
trained and made perceptive to vibrations, hence we have 
in mediumship the training of the mind in regard to man's 
psychologic self, which we called "Soul-Force". This force 
is in its natural state non-perceptive to the external influ- 
ences. 

Some people are more sensitive than others, their 
psychologic self being more strongly developed than in 
others, hence their brain of vibration is by nature in better 
condition to receive "telepathically" visions or impressions 
from the cosmic and ethereal waves which play around the 
braincenters. 

Thoughts produce thought waves which magnetized by 
the force of the Thinker become vitalized in the cosmic or 
in the ethereal waves and become thereby strengthened, 
holding themselves thus as a unit within the cosmic or 
ethereal vibrations, or they may disappear entirely from 
either. 

Man's mind as well as the mind of souls can come 
into contact with these magnetic waves producing thought- 
pictures, and utilize them. Mind-reading is therefore the 
power of the mind to come into contact w T ith the thought 
waves of others, and while this power is claimed by some 
people, it demonstrates itself only where a psychic (soul-) 
contact between persons exists. Outside of this mind- 
reading or thought-transference is possibly only with the 
help of those of the other world. While it is true that a 
telepathic intercourse can be established between two per- 
sons, the results claimed are greatly exaggerated even where 
such is tried between mediums. The faculty of clairvoyance, 
like that of clairaudience, is still the chief development of 
the mind freed from the mortal body, hence rather a faculty 
of the disembodied and discarnate Ego. 



90 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

Disembodied and discarnate Egos, sensitive to vibra- 
tions, come first into contact with the vibrations produced 
by the thoughts of man, hence perceive the mental activity 
of any person they may come in contact with. While they 
can deeply penetrate and analyze the human mind, they can- 
not do so in all instances because the human mind can at 
will close itself to such interference. However, perceiving 
the thoughtwaves of those they come in contact with, they 
perceive also the pictures contained therein and, focusing 
their mind upon a person's aura, the life of that person will 
be an open book to them. The result of an investigation 
the controls tell their medium mentally, or using his vocal 
cords under trancecontrol, they reveal it to the inquiring 
person. Thus then the "I see" said by the control is taken 
by the inquirer for the "I see" of the medium, although the 
medium saw nothing of the things his controls perceived. 
Upon this metamorphism the clairvoyancy of most "clair- 
voyant" mediums rests. 

Clairvoyance has many degrees, but with the exceptions 
of Self-Hypnotism and Hypnotism produced by a Hyp- 
notist, every degree of clairvoyancy is due to mediumship. 
Self-Hypnotism and Hypnotism simply bring out the innate 
faculty of clairvoyance (as far as such exists, not more), and 
both will gradually establish a mediumship which in most 
all cases will be a "sensual mediumship", due to the fact 
that in either the Medulla Oblongata, respectively the ob- 
jective mind is played with. It stands, therefore, the reason 
that nobody should allow himself to be hynotized. 

The idea that anyone can under the influence of a Hyp- 
notist or under trancecontrol or self-hynotism, leave the 
body and traverse thus the earth beyond the six-mile limit, 
is absurd. 

Spiritists frequently speak of a "spirit-cord" (some called 
it "silver-cord") which they suppose connects the body and 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 91 

the soul. This is a misconception, for this which they call 
"cord" is the anima, which manifests itself in the pulsation. 
The anima adheres the longest to the body after physical 
death, and often sustains itself thus for a long time, and 
during the period of life it cannot leave its body and dem- 
onstrate elsewhere. The absence of the anima means death. 

The Ego or Thinker, incased in the vapors of the sub- 
jective mind can — even if that mind is fully ruled by the 
anima — free itself during a profound sleep from the 
anima, which in that state (like the state of hypnotism or 
trancecontrol) relaxes, and passing through it hover outside 
of it to the distance of from one inch to several feet. With 
the help of controls this "outside state" can be forced to a 
distance of from two to five miles from the mortal body, six 
miles being the limit and marks the danger stage, involv- 
ing death. THE MORE SUCH AN EXPERIMENT IS 
MADE THE LESS THE DANGER SIGNALS MANI- 
FEST THEMSELVES AND THE MORE SUCH HAP- 
PENS THE MORE THE INTELLECTUAL FORCE 
SUFFERS, AND THUS BY DEGREES THE MIND 
BECOMES WEAKENED BY THE ABUSE OF THE 
ANIMA, BY THE MISUSE OF THE VITALITY, AND 
A COMPLETE DERANGEMENT MAY FOLLOW. 

The human mind thus exposed to "external influences" 
will during the first attempts act entirely upon "autosugges- 
tion", be such produced by itself or by a hypnotist, and in 
that stage it makes use of its own clairvoyancy. Later, dis- 
embodied Egos will join the experimenter, and in all cases 
where the claims are made to have traveled over the earth 
in that condition, the respective Ego was seldom farther 
away from its body than the distance held during a pro- 
found sleep, having come at that distance into contact with 
either cosmic or ethereal vibrations, with thought-units, and 
ultimately with disembodied Egos drawn to it, who in that 



Q2 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSH1P 

state produce within that mind "visions", and whose clair- 
voyancy as well as telepathic contact with other disembodied 
Egos produces the things claimed by such a person. People 
with imagination can by autosuggestion produce visions and 
even apparitions all of their own make, and so can foolish 
and unscrupulous mediums call into existence disembodied 
Egos who are still "asleep" and non-demonstrative, and 
take, with the help of their controls, from the mind of the 
inquirer the likeness and lifestory of that soul, injecting 
here and there thoughts of the inquirer to make the fraud 
complete. 

Subjective clairvoyance deals mainly with impressions, 
pictures or visions produced within the brain of vibration 
by the controls, the truthfulness of which depends entirely 
upon the faculty and truthfulness of the controls. 

Objective clairvoyance deals with the perceiving of 
things external, and as such it is closely related to the for- 
mer. Where these two phases and that of so-called X-ray 
clairvoyancy are fully developed the medium has learned to 
follow vibrations, hence can under semi or full control per- 
ceive mentally and actually all disembodied Egos who come 
near his atmosphere, for he can follow their vibrations, i. e. 
lower or raise his own vibrations for this purpose. How- 
ever, it should be understood that no control of the ma- 
terial spiritworld can teach its medium the law of vibration 
dealing with the spiritual spheres, that therefore material 
controls cannot help their mediums to raise their vibrations, 
to bring themselves into harmony with the ethereal waves, 
that the perfection of clairvoyance cannot be acquired by 
material mediums (the witch of Endor is but one example 
of this), although their controls may be excellent foretellers 
of things and extremely good in locating things, all of which 
— pf necessity — belongs to the material mediumship. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 93 

Spiritual mediums, while able to lower their vibrations 
to come into contact with souls of the lower conditions sel- 
dom do this, because their guides know that such a contact 
weakens them, therefore spiritual guides always endeavor 
to keep the mind of their disciple turned to the higher vi- 
brations, thereby perfecting gradually the sensitiveness to 
the "Higher" in him. 

Clairvoyant mediums of the same level of vibration can 
perceive any disembodied Ego of their own level almost at 
one and the same time, all depending upon a uniform state 
of vibration among them. Discarnate Egos can be per- 
ceived by them only if these souls will it, i. e. manifest to 
them. 

X-ray clairvoyance deals also with the objective, the 
material, and is produced by material controls as well as 
by spiritual guides. This form of clairvoyance deals directly 
with the materially hidden things, and while — as a rule — 
many of the lower vibration souls have made X-ray clair- 
voyance their chief study and serve their mediums with that 
knowledge, there is in this particular achievement much 
good produced when applied to the body of man, locating 
the cause of disease. The gift of healing is therefore closely 
connected with this form of clairvoyance. In the spiritual 
mediumship this phase is developed in the guides to the 
highest degree and the more a spiritual medium becomes 
one with his guides, the more the gift of healing becomes 
perfected in him, but here, unlike in the former, the medium 
— while he at times contracts part of the uncleanliness of 
those he comes in contact with — becomes cleansed by his 
guides after each contact, the controls of the material me- 
dium draw from their medium's vitality during the process 
of healing and, rebuilding themselves constantly thus, have 
not the strength to revive their medium, hence material 
mediums, aspiring or having such a mediumship, become 



94 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

exhausted and suffer often severely under the strain, losing 
their health thereby. . 

Telepathic clairvoyance is simply the innate sensitive- 
ness of the middle brain to the various vibrations, hence 
it can be developed, and people who have this mental faculty 
are, by their own nature, more sensitive to external vi- 
bratory forces than others. 

Trancecontrol clairvoyance is the sum of all clairvoy- 
ancy, for it contains all phases of the clairvoyant and clair- 
audient state, and may be produced by material controls, 
differing then from that produced by spiritual guides in ap- 
plication, consequently in results. 

Clairaudience, the development of hearing, is in most 
developments partially acquired during the first stages of 
contact, manifesting itself either "mentally or actually". 
Mental hearing is produced either in a telepathic way or 
by an absolute contact, in which case the controls or guides 
can mentally converse with the medium very intelligently. 
Where this state is fully developed the medium or psychic 
can hear and understand the conversations held between 
mediums and their controls, and interfere, or correct them. 
In the beginning of this development the medium's tongue 
is used in most cases, producing silent words with it. In 
telepathic hearing the medium may not in all cases be able 
to give the proper interpretation of the thoughts thus re- 
ceived. 

Actual hearing (the hearing with the natural ears), ex- 
ists only when souls produce sound waves, i. e. "think 
strongly enough into man's atmosphere to make his vibra- 
tions respond to the key of theirs. As a rule such happens 
seldom, for the language of the soul-mind is telepathy. The 
idea that anyone who passed away, be it through accident 
or sickness, can make itself heard (by some called: Inde- 
pendent Voice) is absurd, for the sound of the voice is 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUM S H 1 P 95 

heard mentally, because the disembodied Ego's mental force 
vibrated very close to a person's atmosphere, and forcing 
a vibratory contact with his mind produces such an effect. 

If disembodied Egos could "actually speak" to us, com- 
municate with us without the requirement of mediumship, 
than all doubt in regard to the survival of man would be 
set aside, for then everybody would also be able to see dis- 
embodied Egos, because both, Clairvoyance and Clair- 
audience, are based upon the principle of vibration, conse- 
quently "Seeing and Hearing" are the result of atuning the 
mind and the soul to conditions existing outside the human 
sphere of activity. / It stands, therefore, to reason that 
"Trumpet Mediumship" is a fraud, that no trumpet medium 
can produce the result claimed when placed under severe 
testconditions, not by the average scientist, but by a psychic, 
for the average scientist is too easily fooled by such me- 
diums. 

Slatewriting mediumship is even more spurious than 
trumpet mediumship, for in this "so-called mediumship" the 
"medium" is but a clever charlatan who depends chiefly 
upon the docile mind of the inquirer, whom he attempts to 
"hypnotically sidetrack", preventing the sitter thus to follow 
the actual happenings. As clever and greedy such mediums 
are, they never claim a prize, if such is set for the purpose 
of proving their claim under testcondition. 

The controls of the trumpet mediums, slatewriting me- 
diums and materialization mediums are the lowest controls 
obtainable, although there can be found among the latter 
occasionally some disembodied Egos of the better condi- 
tions of the material spiritw r orld, who experiment with a 
medium's anima for scientific purposes, in which case, how- 
ever, the respective controls will, when asked, always tell 
the truth of their experiences and experiments in regard to 
their work, and they will never "fool a curious public" by 



96 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

representing themselves as relatives or friends of those 
present. 

"Material" is the opposite of "Spiritual", consequently 
we make a distinction between "Occultism, Spiritism and 
Spiritualism", as well as between disembodied and dis- 
carnate Egos. 

Spiritualism has nothing in common with Occultism or 
Spiritism, for it deals with the "Living Soul of Man" and 
not with man's Ego incased in anima, which is matter. 
Dealing w T ith the Spiritual Ego and its development, Spirit- 
ualism cannot deal with matter as matter exists upon the 
earthplane, but explaining the Psychology of the Soul, Spir- 
itualism as a matter of necessity points out this existing dif- 
ference and shows therewith the way to a better under- 
standing of the "THING THAT IS." 

The Scriptures can neither be appreciated nor under- 
stood by anyone without the knowledge of the Principles of 
Spiritualism and Spiritualism is and remains the "Corner- 
stone of the Church of Christ". 

There is in mental mediumship, besides the various 
phases already described, one development, which, when 
perfected, is a wonderful manifestation. This development 
is called "Automatic Writing". As in all developments its 
result depends greatly upon the individual, and the proper 
results are never attained by materially inclined people, for 
their mind brings them in the category of "physical force" 
(hence in contact with souls of the earthsphere and lower 
material spiritworld), consequently the writing received by 
them are not only material, but only too often sensual. 

In the beginning of the development the writing re- 
ceived is usually "jerky", with often meaningless phrases, 
but gradually the writing show's purpose and then the desire 
for constant sitting for development makes itself felt. This 
is chiefly caused by the medium's controls, who now, having 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP <)/ 

become able to use his brains well enough to control his 
hand for writing, are eager to perfect that contact. It is 
then necessary for the medium to keep himself busy men- 
tally as well as bodily, and refrain from sitting more than 
twice per week, and not more than one or two hours at 
most, for a too frequent contact will affect the upper part 
of the arm and the opposite brain, producing in both a burn- 
ing sensation, which are danger signals. If not very care- 
ful, serious trouble can be expected and either an Incarna- 
tion or Re-Incarnation may be the result, for the contact 
made is the fundamental contact of mediumship. 

During the first stages of this development, as a rule, 
the medium's own thoughts are brought to paper, but later, 
when the controlling soul is more familiar with the me- 
dium's organism and characteristics, this will cease and, the 
medium's mind becoming more passive, allows itself to be 
used to a better advantage, so that the controlling soul can 
use its medium's brain as it were its own. Where this me- 
diumship produces drowsiness during or after the writing, 
it is a sign that the respective souls work chiefly through 
the Medulla Oblongata, and such a contact — as described 
— is always bad. 

All elementary mediumships not only produce drowsi- 
ness but also fatigue the medium, and sooner or later show 
worse signs of mental and physical abuse. 

Well developed souls never abuse their medium, hence 
their control and guidance becomes beneficial. Being w r ell 
acquainted with their medium's strength they will not over- 
burden its organism with "over-contact", and burning out 
the coarser substances of their disciple's anima, they re- 
charge its vitality with their own ethereal essences, there- 
fore spiritual mediums never become fatigued by the work 
of their guides. 



98 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

The development of a spiritual mediumship contains 
always that of Automatic Writing, therefore this develop- 
ment is of the greatest importance, for just as the "word 
can become flesh", i. e. "audible", so the word can also 
become "readable", and all inspired Scriptures were re- 
ceived either by way of "vision, mental hearing or auto- 
matic writing." 

SPIRIT-PHOTOGRAPHY 

Thought pictures can be photographed, yet such is pos- 
sible only where the anima of the one experimented with is 
able with the help of the soul — and mind force not only 
to hold the thought picture long enough (substantiate them), 
but also illuminate them so as to allow a sensitive plate to 
receive them, which means to possess a greater force of 
concentration than most people have ; or to be a medium and 
with the help of controls to produce and to hold such pic- 
ture formations as long as required for the purpose. While 
such is possible where a medium's anima is polluted by 
controls, most all such photographs are illusions and fakes. 

Apparitions can be photographed provided they last 
long enough for the purpose and come within the focus of 
the camera. Such a picture can be taken in broad daylight 
as well as in a well lighted room, for an apparition can be 
seen with the natural eyes by those who are not mediums. 

Disembodied Egos, invisible to the nonsensitive natural 
eyes, can illuminate themselves so with their soul light that 
they will show upon a photographic plate if they are allowed 
enough time to substantiate themselves with the medium's 
anima, but such pictures are rare, and "spirit photographs" 
are, in nine out of ten cases, fakes. 

We have had the opportunity to study such pictures 
and found in all cases but one that they were clever double 
exposures and insertions, while in this particular one case 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 99 

we are still doubtful. Anyone familiar with photography 
can make the same kind of pictures by placing some people 
in front of a jetblack background (favorite background of 
the spirit photographer), taking their picture thus and then 
have the person, around whom the "spirits" should appear, 
pose for his picture, which is, of course, taken on the same 
plate. The result will be a "spirit*photograph". There are 
a great number of other ways to produce these pictures, and 
one trick is to fasten enlarged photographs, the edges black- 
ened, into the jetblack background, make an exposure and 
then proceed the regular way. The result is baffling. A great 
number of such pictures, however, show the "insertions" 
plainly when studied with a magnifying glass. 

We do know some photographers who have made 
"spirit pictures" to order for mediums, receiving a very 
good price for their work. 

Nearly all spirit photographs are "lifelike", which alone 
should prove to any sensible person that they are fakes, for 
no matter how excellent the lens of a camera may be, it 
cannot produce a lifelike picture of disembodied Egos, be- 
cause they cannot produce and hold their mentally created 
dress, suit or form the time required for the purpose, and 
they must come into the focus of the camera. 

Mediums whose photographs show "spirits" around 
them, will not show 7 such when an honest professional pho- 
tographer takes their picture, but in some particular cases 
such plates may show signs of "vapors", emanating either 
from the medium's body or showing independently close to 
his body, usually near or around the head, and there is a 
vast difference between such pictures and those showing 
features and forms. 

To photograph a "spirit" the spirit must become "com- 
pact", for the lens of a camera cannot reflect anything upon 
the sensitive plate which is not visible. Spirits, i. e., dis- 



IOO THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

embodied or discarnate Egos, are visible only under certain 
conditions, consequently to be able to photograph them the 
same condition must prevail. 

Spirit Photography has so much inflamed the human 
mind that it is well worth the while to force the issue and 
to expose the frauds. Let us say the believer and ex- 
pounder of spirit photography has some trustworthy person 
and an honest professional photographer (nonspiritists and 
noncultists preferred) attend to plates and camera, then let 
us say, take pictures of the funeral services of a soldier of 
the world war, or any other such affair important enough 
for newspaper photographers to take pictures also, that a 
number of others also interested in photographing the scene 
are there too, and that after all photographers, profes- 
sional and amateur, developed their plates, each plate 
showed "peculiar vapors" or dimly the faces of soldiers 
above the persons assembled or elsewhere on the plates, 
this would prove that spirit photography has something to 
offer in regard to research work. Let us say the expo- 
nents of spirit photography takes a picture as described, 
or has one (taken by a medium) in his possession, but not 
one of the other people, who "snapped" the same scene at 
the same time, shows such results — what would be the 
answer ? — 

Let, therefore, the exponents of spirit photography, as 
well as those of any other spurious spiritistic and occultistic 
machination and imagination come out in the open and 
cease to hide behind the skirts of mediums and "the wisdom 
of masters" and demonstrate their claims in public. 

The "spirits" of Sir Oliver Lodge may claim to be in 
heaven and drink whiskey and smoke bad cigars ; Sir Conan 
Doyle's "spirits" may claim to get married in heaven and 
pose before his camera, but they most certainly do laugh 
at the credulity of our scientists. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP IOI 

Practical knowledge of mediumship and soul activity, 
while proclaiming the possibility of Spirit Photography, re- 
jects most all of the present-day claims, because departed 
souls are but "vapors" and invisible to man, but can — as 
stated — produce an apparition, etc., but are "shadowy" 
consequently a spirit photograph will show only a vapor, 
appearing in the form of an oval, and if the respective dis- 
embodied Ego is strong enough, this vapor may show in 
the middle a slight partition through which its face may 
show slightly. The average person as well as most all 
scientists would not be able to discern between such a 
genuine photograph and the one that is faked. 

It is absolutely erroneous to believe that a "Spirit 
Photographer" has the special gift or power to call spirits 
for the purpose of posing for their pictures. No medium 
can call souls, nor can any medium command its own con- 
trols or guides. 

This leads us finally to a discursion of "Ectoplasm" 
and "Externalization of the sense Sight, Hearing and 
Touch." 

Sir Conan Doyle in his book on "The Vital Message" 
refers to Dr. Geley's experiments regarding "Ectoplasm", 
describing it thus : 

"A peculiar whitish matter exuded from the sub- 
ject, a girl named Eva, coming partly through her skin, 
partly from her hands, partly from the orifices of her 
face, especially her mouth. This was photographed 
repeatedly at every stage of production. * * * 
This stuff, solid enough to enable one to touch and to 
photograph, has been called "Ectoplasm." It is a new 
order of matter, and it is clearly from the subject her- 
self, absorbing into her system once more at the end 
of the experiment. It exudes in such quantities as to 



102 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

entirely cover her sometimes as with an apron. It is 
soft and glutinous to the touch, but varies in form 
and even in color. Its production causes pain and 
groans from the subject, and any violence toward it 
would appear to affect her. A sudden flash of light, 
as in flash photography, may or may not cause a retrac- 
tion of the Ectoplasm, but always causes a spasm of 
the subject. When re-absorbed it leaves no trace up- 
on the garments through which it had passed. * * * 
It curdles into the shape of human members — fingers, 
of hands, of faces, which are first quite sketchy, and 
rudimentary, but rapidly coalesce and develop until 
they are undistinguishable from those of living beings. 

* * * The faces or limbs are usually the size of 
life, but they frequently are quite miniatures. Occa- 
sionally they begin by being miniatures and grow into 
full size. On their first appearance in the Ectoplasm 
the limb is only of one plane of matter, a mere flat 
appearance, which rapidly rounds itself off until it has 
assumed all three planes and is complete. . It may be 
a mere simulacrum, like a wax hand, with every articu- 
lation in perfect working order. The faces which 
are produced in this amazing way are worthy of study. 
They do not appear to have represented anyone who 
has ever been known in life to Dr. Geley. * * * 
My impression, after examining them is that they are 
much more likely to be within the knowledge of the 
subject, being girls of the French middle class type, 
such as Eva was, I should imagine, in the habit of 
meeting. * * * at a liberal estimate, it is not one 
person in a million who possesses such powers. 

* * * It is the mechanism of the materialization 
medium. " 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP IO3 

The substance called "Ectoplasm" is the "Anima", the 
natural soul body of man and animal, and as such is not 
'a new order of matter/ Mediums who have a strongly 
developed Medulla Oblongata have also a strongly de- 
veloped anima, and can therefore produce this which er- 
roneously is called a materialization. Such mediums are 
physical force mediums and void of all higher possibilities, 
for their controls work with matter in matter, consequently 
they are of the earthsphere. 

The anima is composed of the same matter the physi- 
cal body is made up, differing therefrom only in density, 
and the anima's density differs greatly in each individual, in 
some producing itself in a more or less 'glutinous substance' 
which varies in density and color and this in accordance 
with the vitality and temperament of each individual. In 
most all people the anima appears "vaporous", non-solid, 
although this vapor is a solid to the disembodied- Egos who 
observe it and work with it or through it. The anima, 
being matter, can utilize its matter and with the help of 
controls this matter can be greatly magnetized and draw 
into itself matter from the atmosphere, especially from the 
atmosphere of the sitters. The forms appearing in the 
Ectoplasm of the medium are "thought-pictures" produced 
either by the medium's own mind or by its controls, becom- 
ing visible only because of the condition of the medium's 
anima. This phenomenon is therefore in itself a proof for 
the existence of thought-pictures in everybody, differing 
only in the process of "substantiation." Thought-pictures 
thus 'materialized' in the medium's anima are in most all 
cases first appearing 'flat', but round themselves out through 
the process of suggestion. 

Unscrupulous controls will produce in the film of their 
medium's anima any picture they desire to produce, and 
form faces, etc., in accordance with the sitter's mind, "ma- 



104 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

terializing thus a spirit." The medium itself may be 
honest in his belief that a "materialization actually takes 
place", proving with that belief his undeveloped mental 
state. 

Scientific souls experimenting with a medium's anima, 
reinforce themselves with it, becoming thus visible to the 
degree of the anima's density and parts of such a 'rein- 
forced anima may be touched' and the anima photographed, 
but as stated, such cases are rare, for the anima of most 
all mediums who work with their controls in physical force, 
is too flimsy and becomes weaker from time to time, due 
to abuse of the vitality. It should, therefore, stand to 
reason that mediums like "Eva" are not only suffering from 
an overdeveloped animal brain, but are also in the first 
stages of a lower mediumistic development, hence still in 
full possession of their vitality, which they will lose more 
and more. 

These kind of 'materializations' differ widely from 
the products of "materialization seances" in which "spirits 
walk around, talk, sing and lift children, etc.", all of which 
is a fraud. 

Sitting before a mirror and looking straight at one's 
self for a while then looking just above one's head, one 
will notice a thin shadow form around j the head and the body. 
This shadow may change in color and broadness, often ap- 
pearing dark with a lighter outline in the beginning and 
gradually floating sidewise or forward, which movements 
are an optical delusion, for in reality the shadow moves in- 
ward-, toward the body, becoming again absorbed by it. 
This shadow is one's anima, which under the concentration 
of the will becomes enlarged and visible, and while it re- 
sembles in contour one's bodily form, it has no visible 
features. However, with the help of controls, the phe- 
nomenon can be developed so that one can see in this 



ti ik PSYCHOLOGY of m Kim j ms n ir 105 

shadow one's own mind-pictures as well as those produced 
by the controls. Crystal gazing is based upon this principle. 
According to newspaper accounts Dr. Paul Joire, Pro- 
fessor of Psycho-Psychological Institute of France, be- 
lieves that he has proven : 

"That thought is permanent, indestructible, and 
under certain special conditions it may be perceived 
across almost any distance of space and time. It may 
even be inherited and revivified in the brain of the 
descendant, and that the sense of touch may under 
certain circumstances act at a distance, just as the sense 
of sight, hearing and smell habitually act. And a logi- 
cal corollary of this externalization of sensation is ex- 
ternalization of force, which means that not only can 
we under proper conditions feel and be felt without 
direct contact, but that we can exert muscular strength 
upon distant objects in such a way as to move them 
* * * Whatever be the origin of the material ele- 
ment of which the body is constituted, its form seems 
to depend upon the dominating thought of the circle 
in which it is formed. * * * Often the medium is 
able to suggest to the spectators the idea of the form 
which is expected to be seen. These phenomena are 
connected with a force still almost unknown, and it is 
necessary to beware of following the lead of some 
who are inclined to the marvelous and who, not dar- 
ing to fathom their depths, insist on regarding them as 
supernatural interventions. * * * With our eyes 
we see objects at a great distance. With our ears we 
hear sounds produced by concussions at a great dis- 
tance. With our nose we smell perfumes that emanate 
at a great distance. These three senses, sight, hear- 
ing and smell, have a power which the sense of touch 



106 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

seems to lack. Professor Joire believes that the sense 
of touch is also endowed with a similar power of per- 
ceiving objects with which it is not in actual contact, 
and calls this power "externalization of sensibility. ,, 

To those who object that special vibratory waves 
directly set up corresponding vibrations in the nerves of 
the eye and ear, and that minute particles of odorifer- 
ous matter come directly into contact with the papillae 
of the olfactory nerve, he replies, "there is nothing to 
prove that there do not likewise exist special waves 
or vibrations which emanate from all bodies, and which 
are perceptible only to the sense of touch, and only 
when it is raised to a degree of special exaltation 
through a certain hypnotic condition. * * * 

The externalization of sensibility leads us by an- 
alogy to the externalization of force, because here again 
it seems that we observe an extension of certain facul- 
ties of the organism beyond the limits of the material 
body. * * * When a medium, in order to move a 
distant object, extends his hand toward it the move- 
ment is automatic, but perhaps also necessary, "because 
it seems that the medium exerts his externalized force 
by means of an invisible member, which seems to be the 
prolongation of his normal limb, or at any rate he di- 
rects this force by the movement of his muscles. " 
* * * 

Having already thoroughly discussed fnediumship and 
its process, Professor Joire's statements in regard to the 
"Permanency of Thought" as well as to the autosuggestion 
in so-called materializations need no further comment, how- 
ever, while we greatly compliment him in his endeavors to 
discover the "Externalism of Sensibility", we must state 
that as long as Scientists continue to investigate mediums 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 10J 

and the phenomena through them, that long they will be 
unable to discover the truth in regard to mediumship, that 
therefore they will not be able to prove to themselves ab- 
solutely the survival of man. The only way an investi- 
gator can receive that proof is to become a medium. 

The "Externalization of the Sense Sight is Clairvoy- 
ance, that of Hearing is Clairaudience, while that of Sensi- 
bility is mostly included in Clairvoyance, but not in all cases 
fully developed/' 

It is absolutely erroneous to believe that the "medium 
can at will" exert its 'externalized force by means of an 
invisible member, which seems to be the prolongation of its 
normal limb,- or direct this force by the movements of his 
muscles/ The externalized force of the medium is always 
the medium's control or controls, who can with the help 
of the medium's magnetism so reinforce themselves as to 
"move objects" a short distance, and the more a seance 
circle is composed of "awe-stricken people", the more its 
general atmosphere becomes overcharged with animal mag- 
netism from which the controls can draw the strength for 
the demonstration. The anima of the medium comes dur- 
ing such demonstration in consideration only as far as its 
magnetism is concerned, hence plays no actual part in them, 
and no medium, nor any mortal for that matter, can "eject 
his anima or soul and leave a mark of its touch", but a dis- 
embodied Ego can exert itself thus. However, a medium's 
control can to a certain degree produce itself within the 
medium's anima, and if the medium is placed by his controls 
into so-called "death-trance", a control can under proper 
conditions "walk in the medium's anima" a few feet away 
from the medium's body, but cannot hold itself thus more 
than a small fraction of time because of the mental strain 
produced in the disembodied Ego to govern matter thus, 
and also because of the surrounding vibrations. It must 



I08 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

be understood that "to walk a few feet in the medium's 
anima" does not mean that in a state of death-trance the 
anima will leave the body, for here, like during profound 
sleep, the anima enlarges and, being rather overdeveloped, 
pushes itself with the force of the control outward, thereby 
extending from the body a few feet, but does not become 
separated from it. Here we must also consider "spirit- 
hypnotism", which especially in small circles works ex- 
tremely well with the minds of credulous sitters. 

Under proper conditions disembodied Egos, who are 
productive in "apparitions", can and do frequently produce 
"part-materializations" by focusing their mind upon the 
part of their anima which shall become solid enough to be 
felt, but here too the phenomenon cannot hold itself more 
than a fraction of time, and in many such cases the spectator 
who claims to have actually touched the apparition or held 
its hand, can have been easily held in that belief by the 
medium or his controls. 

All things of this sort are in reality of little or no 
value to the investigator, and while they may interest the 
sensation seeking public, nothing is profited by it, for such 
things rather confuse the mind than prove themselves true, 
and give a great latitude to fraud and deceptions. We do 
know- that both Sir Oliver Lodge and Sir Conan Doyle 
cannot uphold the greatest number of their "discoveries" 
were they willing to discuss them with Psychics, with per- 
sons who are neither Theosophists nor Spiritists. We fur- 
ther do know that either of these gentlemen would not 
make most of their statements if they would have studied 
the phenomena first hand, i. e., if they would have de- 
veloped a psychic state without paying attention to theoso- 
phistic-spiritistic mediums and their fantastic minds. 

It is in our opinion only a matter of time and the en- 
tire network of fantastic discoveries made by men like Sir 






THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSIIIL' IO9 

Oliver Lodge and Sir Conan Doyle will tumble like a house 
built upon sand. We do not doubt the sincerity of these 
gentlemen, in fact, we feel convinced that they do believe 
all they say and write, yet from our knowledge — based 
upon positive personal experiences and direct studies of the 
phenomena, both in and out of the body — their various 
statements are painful to us first of all because they prove 
beyond a doubt that even great minds are subject to the 
most unreasonable and most silly conceptions regarding 
soul-life, and second because statements given out by men 
of scientific reputation are believed by many, who other- 
wise would not listen to the Theosophists and Spiritists 
and whose minds become thereby so befogged that they lose 
all responsibility of clear reasoning. 

Self-deception plays especially a great role in clairvoy- 
ance and clairaudience, for many mediums are very limited 
in both developments and are absolutely subjected to the 
will of their controls, who allow them to see only that which 
they wish them to see and hear, and in most instances the 
things seen and heard by them do not exist. 

A medium may see a flower which his controls pro- 
duced for a symbolic purpose, but which — as the medium 
knows — does not exist. The same medium may see a 
hand, a face or the form of a disembodied Ego, — how does 
the medium know whether or not these things exist? — 
The medium may hear a voice and claim that this voice 
comes from the spirit he sees, — how does the medium 
know whether or not it is so ? — The spirit may be but a 
production of his controls, like the flower, consequently 
could not converse with him. 

The "ass spoke to Balaam'', yet in reality it was the 
'angel' who thus mocked Balaam. 

A hypnotist can make his victim believe anything, so 
fan controls make their mediums believe anything they de- 



110 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

sire. The process is the same. One may then well ask : 
What profit is there in mediumship if it is full of decep- 
tions ? — Our answer is : There is no profit in any ma- 
terial mediumship, because all material mediumships are 
produced by disembodied Egos of often the lowest strata 
of the material spiritw T orld, from where all false teachers 
and all impostors come, therefore it is absolutely necessary 
that one aspires the best possible and allows oneself to be- 
come cleansed from one's baser desires, so that one may 
learn to "discern between spirits." 

While mediumship in itself cannot prove anything to 
the natural man because it deals with the abstract, with 
things unseen by non-sensitive people, it will prove all 
things to him that becomes a psychic. 

If we learned to understand what mediumship is and 
means, which we can only learn by becoming a psychic by 
aspiring the best possible, by demanding the truth and by 
showing willingness to become cleansed, by reaching out 
for spirituality, then we know that the real issue is to pre- 
pare oneself upon earth for a better resurrection than the 
one given us by nature, for in mediumship we receive the 
direct proof for the various hells existing in the lower strata 
of the earthsphere, and coming into contact with many who 
thus suffer mentally in condemnation, as well as with those 
who either went through some of these hells, or who be- 
cause of their better mental condition were guided to the 
better environments of the material spiritworld, and finally 
with those who, having outgrown the material spiritworld 
ascended to the spiritual spheres, we learned that while 
Theology produces but creeds and dogmas, the spiritual 
truth taught even in the present day material church is a 
great leader . which — while it cannot send souls straight 
to any heaven after death — prevents them from coming 
into contact with the lowest strata of condemnation, and 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIL' III 

sends them by degrees to the better environments of the 
material spiritworld. 

The true mediumship is therefore the teacher of the 
spiritual truth, which no matter how much it may differ 
from the church's accepted idea of the truth, proves itself 
true in the knowledge of the existence of the various con- 
ditions in the other world, as well as in the knowledge of 
the advancement there to all who aspire such, and coming 
into contact with Spiritual Beings, it proves beyond a doubt 
that, while Jesus and Christ are two different Egos, the 
SPIRIT CHRIST IS AND REMAINS THE SPIR- 
ITUAL RULER OF THE SOULS, that therefore no ad- 
vancement to the spiritual spheres can be achieved without 
the acceptance of Christ, and the full and absolute cleansing 
of the soul from the things pertaining to the anima. 

Having thus received the absolute proof for the sur- 
vival of man and the various conditions existing in the 
other world, it matters not what Science, what Theology, 
the Materialists, Occultists and Spiritists say, the Knowl- 
edge received with a Spiritual Mediumship rests upon that 
Rock which neither man nor Ages can destroy. 

DR. HYSLOP'S TEST 

The following is a copy of an article published in the 
Sunday News Leader Magazine of July n, 1920: 

"Somewhere in New York, in a carefully locked 
steel safe, is a letter. What is written on that 
jealously concealed and guarded bit of paper no 
living being knows. That letter was written, 
sealed and locked by Professor James Hervey 
Hyslop, one of the greatest scientific investigators 
of psychic phenomenon that the world has known. 
Professor Hyslop died June 17, 1920, at Upper 



112 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

Montclair, N. J., without having revealed the 
safe's whereabouts. 

"But like his friends, William James, Rich- 
ard Hodgson and Hugo Muensterberg, Dr. Hys- 
lop had promised to whisper across the void be- 
tween our world and the world of the dead as soon 
after his death as he was able to establish com- 
munication with the living. That he failed to re- 
veal where the safe is containing his letter was 
because, those of his friends who know the cir- 
cumstances believe, Dr. Hyslop w r anted the missive 
to be an absolute test of his identity if he were 
able so to communicate. Obviously, with no liv- 
ing person knowing where the letter was con- 
cealed, there would be no charges made after- 
ward that the envelope had been secretly opened, 
the communication read and his message after 
death 'faked'. 

"Beside that letter probably are those written 
by Professors James and Muensterberg. Among 
the messages, pretended or real, which spiritual- 
istic mediums claim to have received from these 
two, none ever mentioned these letters. Complete 
failure of the test has been registered in their 
cases. 

"Will Dr. Hyslop succeed where they, if they 
be living in that other w^orld, failed or forgot ? 
"... Already the death of the distinguished 
psychic investigator has stirred the imaginations 
of dozens of spiritualistic mediums. From vari-. 
ous sources come pretended conversations and 
messages from the late Dr. Hyslop. . . . 
Among all these pretended communications no 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP II3 

medium has yet had the courage to say that he can 
reveal the secret of the letter in the safe! 

"The first of the pretended messages is said 
to have been received by a medium living in the 
upper part of New York City within a short time 
of Dr. Hyslop's death and several hours before 
the fact of his death had become generally known. 
This communication . . . said that when Dr. 
Hyslop reached the other side he was in a very 
weak condition, fatigued by his unusual journey, 
and pictured him as having been ministered to by 
Professor James. . . . This first message was 
followed by a series of communications on the fol- 
lowing day of Dr. Hyslop's death, through another 
medium, to the effect that the doctor got across 
the void without trouble whatever, landed on the 
other shore strong and vigorous — so strong and 
vigorous that he was able to communicate with 
this world within a few moments after his death. 

"A Toronto Psychist, Dr. Albert Durant 
Watson, has given out what he declares is a mes- 
sage from Dr. Hyslop, received on the third day 
after his death. . . . He and his medium, 
Louis Benjamin, came to New York two days 
after Dr. Hyslop's death. During one of their 
seances Benjamin claimed to be in communication 
with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the English poet, 
and later with Professor William James, Abraham 
Lincoln and Plato. Coleridge is said to have an- 
nounced : 'There is a prominent man among us 
who arrived only a few days ago. He is Dr. 
James Hyslop and desires to give a message to his 
friends. He requests his friends on earth to pub- 



114 . THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

lish it for him.' At Benjamin's dictation Dr. Wat- 
son wrote a long message from Dr. Hyslop, be- 
ginning: 'I, James Hervey Hyslop, am sending 
now a short communication from the new world, 
where I find myself functioning as an entity, a 
person, an individual, one who has retained suffi- 
cient physical replica characteristics to be assured 
that survival is a fact, and that the continuity of 
the individual existence is as true as the fact that 
he once lived in a physical world and was known 
as James Hervey Hyslop.' — Dr. Hyslop did not 
lose a certain form of consciousness during his 
death experience, the message continued, and he 
denied that there was any symptom of suffering in 
• death. He had been cared for, he said, when he 
reached the other side — 'by old friends — del- 
icacy prohibits the mentioning of their names' — " 

"Dr. Hyslop believed that the spirit carries 
with it the same characteristics, weaknesses and 
virtues that it possessed at the moment of death. 
He thought that with the passing of time a spirit 
might forget mundane matters as it might have 
forgotten them if still alive. Furthermore, spirits 
were not very well able to control the thoughts 
that they passed on to mediums, he claimed. In 
the mind of a living person many thoughts are 
born and held without being expressed. The fac- 
ulty that prevents their expression in words is 
called Inhibition, and this faculty of Inhibition, 
Dr. Hyslop held, was one not present in the make- 
up of spirits. Therefore, they sent to their me- 
diums on earth pretty much whatever was passing 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 115 

through their spiritual minds at the time, and this 
naturally would be incoherent." 

Dr. Hyslop's studies appear to be far more advanced 
than those conducted by Sir Oliver Holmes, Sir Conan 
Doyle and others. Pointing directly to the Ego in its full 
conscious state after death, Dr. Hyslop has set himself a 
test worthy the mind which conceived it. However, it 
seems to us that he foresaw the enormous difficulties con- 
fronting a disembodied Ego to make itself known and to 
prove its identity to man upon earth. Perceiving such 
difficulties, he seemed to have been very lenient with the 
various mediums he came in contact with, and rather 
blamed the lack of inhibition of the spirit-mind for the in- 
coherent state so often witnessed in seances, than upon 
the endeavor of the mediums to. "have some ancient mas- 
ter, modern sage, illustrious persons of the present time, 
etc., manifest to a credulous audience. " 

Inhibition, the faculty which prevents the expression 
of thoughts in words, exists only in the "undeveloped men- 
tal stage after death", as previously explained. This, of 
course, Dr. Hyslop could not know, for such knowledge 
one receives only by direct contact with the departed soul- 
minds, and he — like practically all investigators of the 
phenomena — knew the phenomenon only from the experi- 
ences made by studying such through mediums. Had Dr. 
Hyslop become a "Psychic", he would have found a fully 
developed Soul-mind has practically all its former facul- 
ties, and lacks only such which may be (temporarily) of 
no value to it, developing them rapidly when need demands 
them ; therefore, departed souls who become active with 
man upon earth redevelop not only their former faculties 
very rapidly in contact with man's mind, but also improve 
them (provided of course that the respective soul-mind has 



Il6 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

the desire or ambition to do so), if their medium's mind 
has. the capacity to allow such. 

We consider the New York medium's fore-knowledge 
of Dr. Hyslop's death an excellent test, but this test does 
not mean to us that he manifested to this medium, whose 
controls can have easily interested themselves in him. 

Had he been able to manifest that soon, he would have 
manifested to the official mediums of his research society, 
which however Miss Tubby, in charge of the New York of- 
fice, does not admit, while Mrs. C. G. Sanders, who claims 
to be the psychic of the society, asserts (according to the 
article referred to) that "messages have come continuously 
since noon of the day of Dr. Hyslop's death. There is no 
reason why messages should not have come, but it seems 
that none of these messages was accepted by the society 
as messages from Dr. Hyslop. 

Dr. Hyslop may have manifested and given messages, 
yet the society may not have considered them genuine, al- 
though these messages may have been just then of the ut- 
most importance to Dr. Hyslop's soul-mind. These mes- 
sages may also have been transmitted by other soul-minds, 
and then each of them may have differed to the degree of 
the respective soul-mind's understanding of things regard- 
ing the various first conditions of the soul after death and, 
of course, not much could be learned from them. 

Whether or not Professor James' spirit ministered to 
Dr. Hyslop's soul is — while possible — of no moment, for 
such proves nothing. 

The statements of the other mediums made after they 
heard of his death, do — in our opinion — mean nothing 
at all. The message coming through the Toronto medium 
'Benjamin' we consider to be not even a "clever deception", 
although the medium may be honest in his endeavors. We 
base our criticism entirely upon his statement that "Plato" 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP llj 

was present too, for we do know positively that Plato (nor 
any other ancient philosopher) is not looking for mediums 
in Canada or in America nor elsewhere in the world, and 
therefore we do know that the Toronto medium is imposed 
upon by impostors much the same way a certain Florida 
medium was imposed upon during a period of about eight- 
een years, making himself believe that "Socrates" is giving 
lectures through him. This particular disembodied Ego 
finally admitted that he is an impostor and gave some very 
good reasons why he became such, giving his medium's 
foolish aspiration as one of the reasons. 

The test Dr. Hyslop set himself is the most difficult 
test, for, while the intellectual force of man does not change 
after death, it becomes greatly weakened during the transi- 
tion of the soul and in many cases memory fails almost 
entirely and may take a rather long time to reassemble. 
Dr. Hyslop's idea that the spirit carries with it the same 
characteristics, weaknesses and virtues that it possessed at 
the moment of death is correct only if "at the moment of 
death" is left out, for all that one was during one's life- 
time upon earth is fully represented in the soul-mind and 
remains so after death until a "reconstruction of the mind 
can take place." 

The strongest desires in man will therefore work out 
the quickest in the new environment and these desires may 
so paralyze the mind that the memory of all other things 
ceases. Besides this the Ego has too many new things to 
contend with after it became released from the material 
body to, at once, be able to communicate and may not all 
be able to do so for a rather long time. Being right after 
death only conscious in part, and afterwards exhausted, 
not only because of the weakened condition produced by 
the process of the transition, but also — and perhaps more 
so — because of the new environment and its laws, neither 



Il8 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUM SHIP 

of which it can comprehend. A paralyzed state of the mind 
exists, to a more or less extent, even in those who can be 
classed as the highest type of Intellectuals. 

Dr. Hyslop's soul-mind may not have suffered abso- 
lute unconsciousness, yet he may have been unable to 
"move", being in a state of "quarantine", a state in which 
one can think but is unable to move (direct) one's thoughts. 
In that state, friends who, having passed out before and 
who awakened to their own particular activity, may have 
been watching the silent progress of his mind, and re- 
ceiving his thought-waves, discoursed them between them- 
selves. These telepathic conversations may then have been 
telepathically received by other soul-minds who became ac- 
tive in their own behalf by delivering messages through 
mediums, phrasing these messages to suit the mediums or 
audience, but always explaining things in accordance with 
their own ideas. 

Should Dr. Hyslop be fully awakened, hence be active 
in his own behalf, it would stand to reason that his mind 
would be drawn toward his former associates and not to 
"this of that medium". It would, of course, be logical to 
assume that he — as an investigator of the phenomenon — 
would "travel" and during these travels visit various me- 
diums, but it would, not at all stand to reason that he would 
make an attempt to give messages through them, for a mind 
like that of Dr. Hyslop's could not under the law of attrac- 
tion, associate itself with the average medium and under 
no consideration could he remain where "impersonating 
and lower vibratory souls assemble." 

The hidden safe may be discovered by an impostor, 
for spirits have located things, and we would for this rea- 
son not think much of the finding of that safe. 

It is our candid opinion that, should Dr. Hyslop prove 
himself to his former associates, he may baffle them by 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP I Hj 

being unable to "cite verbally the contents of the respective 
letter'', and thus always a sting of doubt may remain, for, 
although no one seems to know what the respective en- 
velope contains, some soul-minds are able to give a general 
idea of the contents of a sealed envelope if their medium 
is allowed to hold it in his hands, and there are even cases 
in which such was done without the medium touching the 
envelope. 

There is in our opinion only one way to know whether 
or not Dr. Hyslop is active, now or later, namely "to see 
him". By this we do not mean to see him during so-called 
"Materialization-Seances", for the "proofs" furnished in 
such seances are never "fool-proof", therefore we predict 
that unless some of his direct associates and co-workers 
become Psychics, the American Research Society will never 
receive a direct proof of the actual survival of their friend. 

It is a pity that Dr. Hyslop never became a Psychic 
himself after his many years of research work, and it is 
also a pity that even now — as it appears — none of his 
co-workers make an attempt to become one, for they could, 
by making the experiences themselves and by studying the 
characters they would come in contact with, become able 
to receive the Truth in regard to Life, which would help 
them to be of the greatest service to the entire human race. 

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES 

From my diary, 19 17- 191 8. 

I have always believed in the existence of a life after 
death, even if I rejected the idea of heaven and hell and 
disbelieved that of the innate sin as well as all biblical spirit 
stories and the miraculous birth of Jesus. I was not a 
churchman and am no churchman now, yet having had many 
experiences which seem to strengthen my belief in a Here- 



120 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

after, my studies of these experiences lead me to investi- 
gate Spiritualism and I discovered many fakes, which how- 
ever did not dishearten me, for I was open to argument 
and looking for proofs. At different times I was given 
proofs, yet there remained always a certain amount of 
doubt and the best medium would have been unable to 
fully convince me. I suppose the reason for this is that 
any prophecy given, if it came true, appeared to me as a 
matter of coincidence. Materialization Seances or any 
other Darkroom Performances, such as Trumpet Speaking, 
I convinced myself as being the work of charlatans. 

To visit mediums for the purpose of receiving a di- 
rect proof for the existence of a life after death is, as far 
as I know at this writing, of little or no value to the critical 
mind, and I am equally certain that attending spiritistic 
meetings as held in their churches are — in this respect — 
of no value either, while the reading of books on the sub- 
ject may rather confuse than help, because they are — 
when written by "Critics" — full of prejudice, and when 
published by mediums, too silly and too full of their own 
imaginations, while scientific writings on the subject con- 
tain — as a rule — only things witnessed or heard of by 
the respective writer, whose investigation may be faulty, 
hence misleading. I came, therefore, to the conclusion 
that to find the Truth one would have to make the ex- 
periences alone, without mediums, and sometimes one 
stands at the gate of Direct Knowledge without knowing it. 

This is the way it happened to me and a number of 
friends, and in relating our experiences I have but one aim, 
namely, to give a true statement of the various happen- 
ings contained in my diary of the year 191 7, referring but 
briefly to others of the year 1918, laying, however, much 
stress upon my own development and state that, ignorant 
as we were, I wrote down our experience like a novice, un- 



TIIK PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 121 



familiar with the laws, spirit-trickery and my own foolish- 
ness gave me finally the laugh, hence the contents of the 
following pages may also well serve as a warning to those 
who are looking for direct knowledge without proper guid- 
ance. 

It was in the last week of December, 1916, while call- 
ing on an acquaintance, whom we may call Mr. C. B., that 
1 found his wife and a lady friend of hers playing with a 
Ouija Board. I ridiculed it, of course, but after some 
arguments agreed to try it with my friend's wife, and, sure 
enough, the little flatiron shaped board moved on its three 
legs, spelling words, answering questions. I was skeptic. 
It appeared to me that Mrs. B. manipulated the board. 
Somewhat later we tried it again, the board spelling out 
that we would move to a different location. This inter- 
ested me, for nobody present knew we intended to move, 
in fact, I knew it myself but one hour before, hence I felt 
inclined to think that Mrs. B. had nothing to do with it, 
and blamed "Autosuggestion" for it. Talking about the 
matter we came to discourse various experiences and, re- 
ferring to mediums, I told my friends that my investiga- 
tions proved to me too many fakes, that, although I am 
openminded, investigating mediums did not lead me any- 
where. Somebody referred to "Table-Tilting" as a mat- 
ter of entertainment and since I never had investigated this 
manifestation, I said: "Let's try it." 

The table was of pinewood, its bottom served as a 
bookcase. The others must have had some experience 
and, in accordance with their instructions, I placed my 
hands lightly upon the table. Our thumbs crossed and the 
little finger of each hand touched the little finger of the 
one sitting to either side, each of us saying at intervals : 
"If anyone is here, please tip the table." We sat thus per- 
haps twenty minutes when I began to feel extremely fool- 



122 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

ish, for it looked to me absurd to expect spirits to move a 
table. The whole affair looked silly and I became tired, 
but just as I wanted to withdraw there came a slow move- 
ment, a tilting of the table upward, possibly one inch. 
Mrs. B. asked: "Is anyone here?" — The table kept on 
moving. Rising, I walked around the table to investigate 
whether or not somebody moved the table with their knees, 
but I found each of them seated so that only their hands 
touched the table, hence the movement — which kept on — 
could not be caused by either of the three sitters, and it 
was evident that neither of them could use their hands for 
the purpose. Their sleeves were clear and the room well 
lighted. The affair looked uncanny. 

Mrs. B. said then : "If you wish to talk to us, move the 
table once for yes, twice for no arid three times for doubt- 
ful." The table moved upward on one side, dropping back 
rather forcefully, meaning "yes". She then asked to use the 
alphabet, each tip constitute a letter, stopping with the 
letter wanted and then to begin again with A, and so forth. 
There is no need saying that I was greatly interested, ' for 
here was demonstrated to me a phenomenon which I often 
disputed and ridiculed, but to talk to spirits, while inter- 
esting, appeared to me like talking over a telephone with 
an unknown person and it seemed to me that we had the 
right to know with whom we were talking, hence I asked : 
"Can you tell me your name?" — The table tipped yes, and 
then .spelled H-A-H-A. Having spelled the word Haha, 
the table began to move rapidly to and fro. 

Haha appeared to me to be a peculiar name and I felt 
as if it were better for me not to investigate further, but 
before I could say more, Mr. B. asked: "Haha, do you 
wish to have some fun?" — In answer to the question the 
table rose on one end about one foot and then dropped 
with a crash. There was something connected with that 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 123 

demonstration I did not like, and feeling the mysterious, 
the uncanny, I also felt as if I suddenly had developed a 
sixth sense, which foreshadowing disaster, warned me to 
leave these things alone, or at least not to fool with them. 
However, Mr. B.'s mind was active in its own behalf, and 
just as I wanted to say: "Let's quit this business," he said 
to Haha : "If you are that strong, just try it again." — Saying 
this he placed one knee upon one end of the table, but Haha 
moved the whole table, and as we all — standing up — 
pressed down upon it, the table upturned. 

This occurrence awakened again my desire to conduct 
research work, so after the table was righted I asked Haha 
if he could follow me with the table, he tipped yes. Mr. 
and Mrs. B., and her lady friend had — standing up — 
placed their hands upon the table, and walking slowly from 
the parlor into the diningroom, the table, to our surprise, 
followed me step by step. 

Telling my wife of this experience she neither believed 
nor disbelieved me, while our two sons laughed about it. 

The following evening I took my wife with me, and 
thinking we may have better success with something lighter 
than the pinewood table, I took a small taborette along. 

We started at eight o'clock, Haha responding at once. 
Asking him if he knows the lady who came with me, he 
tipped yes and spelled out my wife's full name. Those 
present were Mr. and Mrs. B., Miss F. and Mr. Y. 

Since the name Haha sounded peculiar to all of us, we 
asked him about it. He refused to answer and shook the 
table violently. Upon this B. called Haha a liar with the 
result that the table moved upward on one side opposite 
him and crowded him between two chairs. In spite of 
his holding onto the table, he was knocked down between 
the two chairs. Setting the table back, B, said : "Just- 
try this again, will you?" — Standing up, we all pressed 



124 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

down upon the table with all our strength, but Haha, try- 
ing in vain to make us lose our hold, suddenly pressed 
forward. Pushing against this movement we felt the 
pressure from beneath, which was so strong that the bottom 
part of the table was torn apart. After this we used my 
taborette. Asking him if he would follow me again, he 
tipped "yes." This time only B. had his hands on it. The 
taborette followed me quickly, like a dog on his hindlegs, 
and going upstairs, it climbed two or three steps, then fell. 
Starting again, I asked if he could make it climb upon the 
davenport, tipping yes, it was pushed up. During this 
experiment I had my right hand on the top of the taborette 
and could feel a distinct pushing from beneath, yet nothing 
of the force which accomplished this was visible to any of 
us. 

A few evenings after this we were again together in 
B.'s house but I was afraid that we could do nothing, be- 
cause an old gentleman, Mr. P., dropped in and since we 
knew his opposition we did not want to offend him. How- 
ever, our experiences were too new and being eager to 
have some action, we finally asked him of his ideas con- 
cerning the matter. When he began telling us what he 
thinks of such things I was convinced he would never get 
done denouncing, so I suggested that we try it anyway. 

Those present were Mr. and Mrs. B., Miss F., Mr. 
Y., Mr. P., myself and wife. 

We were sitting but a short time, when the pianola 
bench upon which we placed our hands, started to move 
very gently. Asking for a name, it spelled, but some- 
how we could not get the meaning. Finally someone said : 
It's German. Asking in German to spell the name again, 
it spelled the full name of one of my uncles who died a 
number of years ago. To questions asked in English we 
received no answer. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 125 

Mr. P., who sat opposite me, said suddenly: "I can see 
plainly a bluish flame on my right hand, which proves my 
contention that it is but a matter of electricity and auto- 
suggestion." This idea never occurred to me before, but I 
could not understand how we could with the help of elec- 
tricity and autosuggestion make a pianola bench move, 
spell words and answer questions. The electric force I 
did not doubt, in fact I believed that our magnetism played 
a part in these demonstrations, but how it could spell words 
and move heavy objects around I could not understand, 
hence I asked my supposed uncle if he would be willing to 
give us a demonstration to convince us that something 
else besides magnetism is at work. He agreed. 

Asking Mr. P. to take his chair and sit near the corner 
of the room, I moved the bench about five feet from him, 
then I asked B. to place his right hand upon it. This done 
I asked the bench to be moved toward Mr. P. so that it 
would touch his knees. This was done as directed. 

The floor was covered with a heavy rug, hence the 
pianola bench could not be pushed over the rug by B. with- 
out his effort being noticed. Even Mr. P. came to the conclu- 
sion that something strange seemed to be at work. Mr. Y. 
asked then: "I wonder if your uncle can lift the bench ?" — 
The answer was : "You must turn out the light". Being 
opposed to darkroom sittings I objected, but my 'uncle' 
replied: "I prefer now the darkened room and wish you 
would allow it." Turning our the lights we stationed some- 
one at the pushbutton. Standing around the bench with our 
hands upon it, the bench moved upward and then suddenly 
pulled sideways, pulling in a slanting way from our hands 
and falling to the floor about two feet from us. We rear- 
ranged and tried it again. This time it went up straight 
until it reached the height of my eyes and then Mr. P. 



126 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

again claimed to see a bluish flame, so did the rest with 
the exception of Mr. Y. and myself. 

There was really no sensation, the bench simply moved 
upward as light as a feather, remaining suspended at the 
height given for a few minutes and then returned to the 
floor the same way. 

Shortly after we had turned on the lights Haha spelled : 
"Turn out the lights and I will appear, then rest." We be- 
came more or less scared, but Mrs. B. finally asked : "Would 
you appear to me alone ?" — Haha answered : "Anytime you 
wish me to," but Mrs. B. exclaimed: "Lord no, don't you 
do it !" 

Two evenings after this my wife and I returned a call 
of one of our neighbors and of course spoke of these hap- 
penings. While we were talking I felt uneasy, something 
seemed to draw me to B.'s house. The desire to go there 
became so strong that I excused myself and went there, ask- 
ing these people to go there with my wife. Entering B.'s 
house Mrs. B. said : Your uncle told us that you would be 
here three minutes to nine o'clock. It was just about that 
time when I entered. Shortly afterwards my wife came 
with our two neighbors. 

Those present were Mr. and Mrs. B., Mr. Y. and his 
sister, Mr. and Mrs. W., myself and wife. 

Haha responded again first and absolutely refused to 
allow me to talk to 'my uncle', stating he would not allow 
anyone to talk to us. It seemed to me that Haha became 
very bossy and I more than disliked his dominating way. 
He called us 'nuts', spelled 'poohoo', ordered us to stand on 
our heads, always ending with 'turn out the lights'. In fact 
he adopted suddenly a new way of spelling, using but the 
letter 'U' for you, and letter 'R' for are, keeping us guess- 
ing for a time. It looked to me as if he meant business 
and wanted to hasten things. Besides he made me feel ill 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 127 

at ease. After a while I was able to persuade him to allow 
me to talk with my 'uncle. ' The conversations we had with 
my supposed uncle were always in German and as a rule 
their substance was business. His advice was remarkably 
good and surprised us all. While talking with him for a 
while, a jerk on the pianola bench interrupted. It was Halia 
who 'cut in on us'. Refusing to answer a question asked 
by Mr. Y., he told Y. to stand on his head. Asking if he 
knows the people who came with my wife, he spelled their 
names. 

M. B., of course, had to tease Haha again, challenging 
his strength. The result was that Haha pushed the bench 
so forcefully against the pianola that only B's quick move- 
ment saved him from being hit, the bench colliding with the 
pianola, marring it. 

Rearranging we sat around the bench, Haha spelling: 
Turn out the light. Some were in favor of it, I was against 
it. Someone asked if he could lift the bench entirely from 
the floor if the lights were turned out, he answered, "I can, 
turn out the lights." I said "no !" He shook the bench vio- 
lently. Asking if he would again follow me with the bench, 
he tipped "no". Rising and walking away from the bench, 
I asked him to follow me. Haha spelled 'Light'. Thinking 
he wished us to move the bench away from beneath the 
light, I pulled it away, but Haha jerked it back, spelling 
'Light'. I told him we would not turn out the light, but my 
wife interrupted, asking: Haha, why don't you turn out 
the light? — He spelled T can and will'. — There was a snap 
and the house was in darkness. I quickly lit the gas, while 
Mr. B. and Mr. Y. ran down in the cellar to see if a fuse 
had burned out, but everything was all right and all the 
switches were turned on. 

Laying our hands again on the bench, I asked Haha to 
turn on the light. He spelled T will not'. Someone asked 



128 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

if he could blow out the gas, he answered 'I can and will 
do it'. Since we all felt that we did not need more of this 
kind of demonstrations, we told him that we are satisfied 
but would be pleased if he would turn on the light. He 
did and we felt better. Soon after this he asked us to sit 
with him in the dark, adding : 'I will appear then, fear not, 
no harm shall befall anyone.' None of us, however, had the 
heart to comply with his wish, but we promised to do so 
in a few days. 

Several evenings later we were again together; only 
Mr. and Mrs. W. were not present. Talking about the 
eventualities we may be confronted with if we allowed him 
to appear, the majority finally decided to comply with his 
wish. I was not in favor to fool around with Haha. 

Sitting around the pianola bench it took quite a while 
to start, then the bench moved very feebly. Mrs. B. asked 
if it is Haha, the bench tipped 'no', after she explained the 
code. Someone asked if it talked to us before, and then 
we heard footsteps upon the front porch and everyone in- 
voluntarily took their hands off the bench, saying 'Haha'. 

Here perhaps an explanation is necessary. When 
Haha turned out the lights we were naturally scared, and 
after we found that the electric lights in the other half of 
the house were not out (it was a double house, Mr. Y. liv- 
ing in the other part), Mrs. Y. sitting in the parlor reading 
at that time (10:45 P- m -)> the doubt which had come into 
my mind vanished, and since the tension of this experience 
created was still with us, our thoughts being still busy with 
Haha, must have been strongly controlled by his presence, 
hence the footsteps we heard must have been suggested to 
us by him, for we found nobody on the porch nor near it. 

Placing our hands upon the bench, it tipped forcefully, 
spelling 'Haha.' Asking if he was on the front porch he 
tipped yes. Mr. B. called him a liar. Haha claimed he was 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 1 29 

and with his usual force drove the bench against him, hit- 
ting B. in the abdomen. I had enough, but the others 
wanted to continue, so Haha spelled again Turn out the 
light, do not fear, no harm shall befall you. Let me ap- 
pear and help me to rest.' 

Having decided that they would allow him to appear, 
I said I would not remain in the room, and leaving the 
room, I turned out the lights. Standing near the door I 
could plainly hear them talk. This is what I heard : My 
wife said : "The bench is moving." Mr. Y. exclaimed : "It's 
off the floor." Then I heard Mrs. B. scream 'Stop it!' (or 
drop it!), a crash followed and my wife called me. Enter- 
ing the room I turned on the lights and found them pale. 
What happened was this: Haha lifted the bench off the 
floor and over tfteir heads, at that height Mrs. B. became 
scared and cried 'drop it !' The bench fell to the floor and 
all were badly scared. Asking Mrs. B. why she became 
nervous, she said that she was afraid Haha would appear 
beneath the bench and look at her. 

Laying again our hands upon the bench, I asked Haha 
to place the bench gently upon the floor, which he agreed to 
do. Of course they were all eager to know just where in 
the room he would appear, so Haha spelled : N — E, mean- 
ing the north-east corner of the room. Across this corner 
stood the pianola, upon which lay a mandolin and a violin. 

Leaving the room I turned out the lights. I listened 
but heard nothing. Suddenly the lights were turned on. 
Entering I found them facing the pianola, looking dumb- 
founded. This was what they told me : "After I had left 
the room Haha spelled Vise', then the bench moved up- 
ward, stopping at the height of their chest, then it moved 
downward, touching the floor very gently. From that time 
on all looked toward the pianola, expecting the appearance 
of some form, but instead the mandolin played one chord." 



130 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

(The foregoing takes in some of our experiences from 
the last week of December, 1916, to the end of the first week 
of January, 1917.) 

One evening toward the end of January, 191 7, we came 
again together in B.'s house. It took rather long until we 
had a result, but when it started it was pretty lively. 

"There is a strange Spirit on the line" someone sug- 
gested, and that stranger had some spunk ! — In spelling 
words the bench moved so quickly that we hardly could fol- 
low. We tried to get a name from it, but did not succeed, 
so Mr. B. said let's call him Mike. The bench spelled at 
once 'Yes, I am Mike'. There was no movement for some 
time, then the Bench tipped very gently. The answer was 
in German but there was no sense in it, so I remarked : 
"This is not my uncle." The bench answered : Tt is Mike'. 
According to this Mike understood German, hence we be- 
gun asking questions in that language and found Mike, 
while liking fun, very truthful and gentle. 

Mr. Y. asked Mike if he could lift the bench from the 
floor, Mike tipped 'yes, turn out the light'. Naturally I re- 
fused to sit in the dark, but finally agreed to remain in the 
room. The bench was lifted as high as we could reach and 
then was lowered in an easy manner. 

Mr. B. was smoking a cigar, which prompted me to ask 
Mike if he would help me in my proposed research work. 
Mike tipped 'yes'. I gave our oldest son a cigar, asking him 
to hold it between his teeth, then I told Mike to take B.'s 
cigar and try to light the other cigar with it. Mike spelled 
he would try, but B. refused to take part in it, however 
after a while he agreed. Mr. Y.'s sister had charge of the 
electric light, my wife stood behind our oldest son, who sat 
opposite me, Mrs. B. sat to the left of him, Mr. Y. between 
her and me, while Mr. B. sat between my son and myself, 
opposite Mr. Y. The light was turned out, but the room 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 131 

was not dark enough to be unable to see dimly those pres- 
ent, and B/s burning cigar helped out some. Suddenly B. 
said : "There she goes." — His cigar circled plainly visible, 
toward my son, dropping upon the bench after it had 
reached his cigar. The lights were turned on, B. looked 
pale and claimed he felt as if someone pulled the cigar out 
of his mouth. 

I must state that fraud was out of the question, because 
nobody moved an inch during all of our sittings and we 
had always our little fingers locked in the circle, so that if 
anyone of us had loosened the grip the next sitter would 
have at once spoken. Trying it again, I asked Mike to carry 
the cigar more straight, and also advised B. to bite on his 
cigar. 

The light was turned out and all was very quiet. After 
a while we heard distinctly B/s cigar crack, then it went in 
a straight line toward my son and dropped as before. Turn- 
ing on the light we found B. pale with part of the cigar be- 
tween the teeth. I wished to make the experiment once 
more, because I had seen something close to B/s face but 
saw it only a second, and tried to verify it, but B. refused, 
stating he had enough ; but when Mr. Y. volunteered, B. 
became again game. Turning out the light, there was a 
deep silence and we heard B. nervously chew on his cigar, I 
had my eyes fixed upon the glowing end of the cigar. Sud- 
denly I saw a blueish-greenish hand appear before the glow- 
ing part of the cigar, lighting up B/s face in the same tone 
of color. We all saw his face in that light, and then B. 
cried out : "O-oh !" — We felt him bent over the bench and 
in that instant his cigar went through the air, but Mr. Y/s 
sister turning on the light spoiled the rest. 

B. looked white. Rubbing his cheeks he said he felt 
two cold hands take a hold of his cheeks and pull him across 



132 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

the bench, stating that he would not again be the victim of 
my foolish research work. 

In the meanwhile we had moved into our new home 
and came together there with the same results. 

Toward the end of February, 1917, Mr. Y. invited some 
people to his house. Being invited also, I went with the in- 
tention of seeing what the spirits would do there, but the 
nearer I came to his house the more I felt that I should not 
go in. Standing for a few minutes in front of the house, 
I decided to go home. Next morning B. told me they had 
no success. 

A few evenings later I tried it alone at home. Mike 
responded, which surprised us because we thought that B.'s 
had to be present. Having later tried it again alone, but 
without success, I asked my wife and two sons to sit with 
me, but they soon became tired to sit for hours without re- 
sult. I decided to keep on alone, for there was — as far as 
I could see — no reason why spirits could not talk to me 
without the help of others. Besides this I felt that to get 
at the truth properly I would have to try it alone, and 
since I had made up my mind to either prove or disprove 
the things claimed by mediums, I was willing to risk what- 
ever there was to be risked to receive that truth. Many ma- 
terialists may smile at my persistency, possibly it is easier 
to smile and to denounce a thing than to admit its possi- 
bility and to be willing to study the claims made, but it is 
not rational. 

On the evening of February 25, 191 7, B.'s called on us. 
B. told me that Mike at a sitting in Y.'s house claimed to be 
a woman. It seemed peculiar that this should be so, al- 
though Mike never referred to himself one way or another, 
the name being suggested by B. We either had to believe 
or disbelieve, for we did not know who was talking to us. 
We did not see spirits, nor did we know if it was true that 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSH1P 1 33 

spirits could be seen, but sat for the purpose of finding out 
whatever could be found out. This was at least my pur- 
pose and, as far as I was concerned, names or persons did 
not — at this stage of inquiry — matter in the least. The 
main thing to me was that we did not deceive ourselves in 
regard to whatever manifestation we might be able to re- 
ceive. 

On Friday morning (March 2) Mr. V. asked me to 
come to his apartment Saturday evening, having invited a 
few members of his church whom he wished to see some 
of the demonstrations. I promised, stating that B. would 
have to be present because nothing could be done without 
him. Speaking to him about it, he said it would be neces- 
sary to sit on Friday evening for the purpose of arranging 
things w r ith the spirits as they may not be willing to go to 
Mr. Ws. On this particular evening we were but four, Mr. 
and Mrs. B., myself and wife. 

Mike responded almost at once, spelling. "I do not 
wish to go to V. because I do not like shows." However, 
since we promised to be there, Mike agreed. We asked if 
Mike could tell us something about a certain business mat- 
ter, the answer was : "perhaps, wait, I shall investigate." 
About a half hour later we tried again. No sooner had we 
put our hands on the pianola bench when it begun to move 
violently and we had to press down hard to keep it on the 
floor. Mr. B. said : "I bet this is a new one." — Asking who 
is moving the bench, I received a kick on my left knee with 
the bench. The bench was acting furiously, reminding me 
of Haha, only this one developed a great deal more strength. 

I left the bench, rubbing my knee, when all of a sud- 
den the bench went off the floor (my wife and B. having 
their hands upon it), rising so hifh that their hands dipped 
down on the benchlegs, the bench swaying in this position 
to and fro, much like a prizefighter's fists before delivering 



134 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

a blow, aiming at my head. Finally they took their hands 
off and the bench dropped. This was the first time the 
pianola bench was lifted from the floor while the lights were 
on. Laying my hands upon the bench I said : Since you 
are so strong you can perhaps help tomorrow evening ? The 
bench tipped yes. 

Returning from my office on Saturday afternoon at 
about five o'clock I felt as if someone was near me and this 
especially after I was in my room. To be sure of this I 
said: If anyone is here, please knock at my desk. The 
knock came almost instantly. To convince myself more I 
said : I w T ish you would stay with me and see to it that they 
cannot begin before I arrive. 

My wife and I arrived at V.'s apartment about a quar- 
ter to eight, B. had been there since about seven o'clock 
and had no results, but as soon as I had one hand upon 
the taborette it moved forcefully. 

Mike responded first. We asked : How many are 
sitting around the taborette ? — Mike tipped four times. We 
w r erefive. I asked to tip the taborette tow r ard each of us, 
which was done, but Mr. V. was ignored. Leaving the 
taborette, Mr. V. said : "Mike I will now give you a mental 
command, and I want you to do as I say. We waited, but 
the taborette did not move. Asking if Mike would do some- 
thing for me, the answer was: perhaps. 

Thinking about the thing I wished Mike to do (I was 
not sitting with the others, and Mr. V. stood between the 
parlor and the dining room), the taborette marched toward 
Mr. V. and gently knocked him on the shinbones. Mr. V. 
seeing that my wish was carried out, remarked: "It's pe- 
culiar that Mike refused to obey me and obeyed S., having 
always obeyed me in S.'s house." Mike, however, tipped 'no' 
very emphatically. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP I 35 

As a matter of explanation I wish to state that Mr. V. 
was a frequent visitor in my home and as a friend of mine 
often sat with us, that having dabbled in Occultism and 
attended many "seances", he had a great number of fixed 
ideas, none of which agreed with my reasoning, but which 
he nevertheless tried to apply whenever he was with us. 
One of his pet ideas was that "he can command spirits," 
hence the above practical demonstration. 

There came a violent rocking of the taborette and I 
knew at once its meaning. The taborette spelled : "Call me 
Strength." Mr. V. asked: "In which sphere are you?" — 
(Another pet idea of his.) The answer was. "In the first 
sphere." (Analogous with our own, the earthsphere). To 
which he remarked : "I know now what kind of a spirit you 
are, you are in hell." 

Strength drummed a popular march with the taborette. 

Having a dinnerbell tied to the chandelier, we asked 
Strength if he could lift the taborette high enough to ring 
this bell. He spelled : "Turn out the light." This was done 
and the feat was accomplished. 

We placed then a crackerbox upon the taborette, ask- 
ing him to carry it to one of the ladies present, mentioning 
her name. . Turning out the light, this was done a number 
of times, the box ringing the bell every time the transfer 
was made. During one of these experiments I placed the 
box across my right hand and felt a distinct lifting of the 
box and with it a slight breeze. 

We tried a felt hat and had much fun, for several times 
the hat was placed upon one or the other's head, and once 
it was pushed over my head so that the rim was below my 
nose. Laying a book upon the taborette, it was opened. 
Strength also untied a knot made in a napkin. One of the 
sitters asked if Strength could upset the taborette with 



I36 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

him sitting on it. He never had a chance to sit upon it, 
for every time he tried the taborette was turned over.* 

On March 28 I called on B. and this meeting was one 
of the most remarkable. Mrs. B. who seemed to have be- 
come afraid, went to bed, so B. and I were alone. We had 
received various names from our invisible callers, and we 
were able to discern between Haha, Uncle, Mike, Truth, 
Hope and Strength, but I felt that some of them were one 
arid the same. On this particular evening we talked for a 
while with Hope, wishing to talk also with Mike. Our con- 
versation suddenly stopped, Hope leaving without finishing 
the sentence started. While B. and I were talking about 
this we heard a number of people enter Mr. Y.'s home (as 
stated both lived in the same double house), and soon after- 
wards we heard distinctly the questions and answers 
through the thin wall. I had to laugh about the joke the 
spirits played on us, for they seemed to be next door. Mr. 
B. was badly upset over it. Yet the humor of the affair 
made me laugh in spite of B/s seriousness. We heard Y. 
say : "Mike, I want you to lift the taborette." — B. remarked 
disgustingly : "They will never come back to us." Seeing his 
mental condition I asked him to lay his hands upon the pian- 
ola bench and wait. I called for Strength mentally and then 
said to B. I am sure Strength will answer my call. To B/s 
surprise the bench moved, spelling S-t-r-e-n-g— t-h. 

B. looked at me perplexed but said nothing. Asking 
Strength who is moving Y.'s table, he spelled 'Mike', then 
I asked him to call Mike and the rest. The next answer 
was 'Mike here\ While Mike answered us the table in Y.'s 
had stopped, and about fifteen minutes later we heard Y. 
say : "I guess they are gone." Telling Y. later about this, 



* (There were about fifteen people present and, since the fire 
was burning in the grate, the room was not in absolute darkness.) 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 1 37 

he laughed as much over it as did I and we both took it as 
a good test. 

While talking with Mike and Strength we became 
aware of a change or irregularity in the tipping, and finally 
it ceased altogether. 

I felt somewhat disturbed and B. looked very pale. 
There came a sudden violent jerk, and the bench (B. hav- 
ing his hands upon it) went up in the air with a swish, re- 
maining, about five feet from the floor, swaying. Laying 
my hand upon it, it returned to the floor. I seated myself. 
The bench (B. had still his hands upon it) walked toward 
me and then jumped upon my knees. B. made some re- 
marks and the bench hit him. Asking who it is, the bench 
tipped : 'E-g-o.' 

The foregoing experiences are but short cuts from my 
diary, and should be sufficient for the purpose of private 
study, and while most of the happenings were entertain- 
ing, they served me as a whole for a better purpose, proving 
to me beyond a doubt not only the existence of a Life after 
Death, but also that Spirit-Communication is not only pos- 
sible but true. This proof changed my entire mode of think- 
ing, yet while I was convinced of all this, I felt that there 
was still something lacking, that I must make other ex- 
periences without the help of others. 

On April 2. I sat alone. After perhaps one-half hour 
of sitting with both hands upon the taborette, it moved 
slowly up and down. It was Ego who responded. Ego 
tipping the taborette, recalled to my mind many seemingly 
forgotten things and often lied to me, impersonating some 
of my own people, but there seemed to be someone else 
talking to me at intervals, for I could feel a difference at 
times and was then usually told not to believe Ego. 



I38 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

One day I had my hands resting upon the back of a 
chair while speaking to my wife, the chair began to tip and 
kept on tipping until I took my hands off. Talking to Mr. 
V. about it, he said : "Hold a pencil in writing position, I 
am sure you will receive a message. " I did. My hand wrote 
"Fool". From that time on many things were thus written 
by my hand without my will, but most of the writing I re- 
ceived at that time was of little value and some of it was 
not only silly, but also bad. It seemed to me, however, that 
I was being tried out and I noticed that whenever I felt 
sore about anything, that this feeling was enlarged, was re- 
inforced by those who worked with me. One day my hand 
wrote : "I am going to destroy you." — Whoever wrote this 
meant it, for this force began in all earnestness to tear up 
things with which I was dissatisfied and frequently, while 
writing (expressing my dissatisfaction) my hand would be 
lifted from the paper and my pen smashed. 

Having received once a few pages concerning the Soul's 
Rebirth, which contained more spiritual knowledge than I 
could understand, I asked who is writing the silly things, 
the answer was 'Ego'. Asking why someone wanted to de- 
stroy me, my hand wrote: "You must be destroyed to re- 
ceive Life." 

Making these experiences I knew positively that there 
are forces outside the human mind, Intellectualities which 
seem to be very much like us. Some of my friends urged 
me to quit my Research work, believing that these things 
are of the Devil, quoting Bible verses, but I could quote 
more Bible verses to the contrary and, besides this, I was 
more than willing to make the acquaintance of Satan to 
prove his existence, thereby doing a favor to the world at 
large and to the clergy in particular. 

Finally I received ony good things, but it seemed as if 
these writings were only fragments of Essays on Spiritual 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 139 

Subjects, and it appeared to me that they were written for 
my own education, explaining to me the things which had 
destroyed my Belief, giving me an entirely new light on 
these subjects. I also received two good stories, one relat- 
ing to a doctor, who doing Research Work, died under 
trancecondition, and who — as it were — writes his experi- 
ences, before and after death, through me. The second 
story was one in which an Artist in a foolish w r ay became 
interested in the Occultism of the time and, becoming pos- 
sessed, was taken to a Private Sanitarium, where he is 
cured and meets his former sweetheart, whom he married. 

One morning, quite early, I heard my name called. 
Thinking I dreamed I turned around, but again I heard the 
voice. This time it appeared to come from within me. I 
listened and to my surprise I noticed that my tongue moved, 
forming words silently, without me willing it. Thus for 
several days I was spoken to. Most of the time I was told 
some funny stories. One afternoon my wife and I sat in 
the porch swing, when my unseen visitor told me a funny 
story. I had to laugh and related the story to my w r ife. 
She too had to laugh and remarked that if spirits are so 
full of fun the Hereafter could not be such a bad place 
after all. Using my own voice, the spirit sad : "Here 
like there, our condition depends upon the frame of mind 
we are in, hence we must try to keep our mind in good con- 
dition while living upon earth." 

Using my vocal cords was a new experience, which I 
could not understand. 

Thus for some time everything was agreeable, until 
one night my tongue kept on forming words silently, keep- 
ing me awake almost all night. This kind of talk consisted 
mostly of some foolish gibberish, but gradually it became a 
distinct punitive force, holding before me anything I ever 
did, reaching even into my childhood days. The day of 



140 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

judgment could not be described more vividly than in try- 
ing to explain the feeling which came over me during this 
period. 

Early in the morning I felt again fairly well, only at 
times my head ached from between the eyes to the middle 
of the top of the head, and I felt again the presence of the 
spirit who so often consoled me, and who seemed to be dis- 
turbed over my condition, telling me to hold out. A few 
days later I became greatly disturbed, becoming aware that 
I could not think any longer for myself, that wishing to 
write a letter I could not do so. Several days after I be- 
came suddenly sick, but since I remained most of the time 
in my room, my wife knew nothing of my condition. 

Six weeks of severe torture begun. Sleep was out of 
the question, and then I severed my business connections, 
feeling that I would have to fight out these things in the 
privacy of my home ; but I had become a stranger in my 
own house, my whole family thought me to be "beside my- 
self" and of course all who knew about it declared me 
insane. 

At times I felt like myself and then I usually argueu 
with the spirit who produced the mental torture and who 
at times seemed to feel sorry for me, but who always 
claimed that the final outcome would depend entirely upon 
myself and thus I gradually learned to understand that I 
will have to allow them to change my ways, to remodel me 
as it were, if I wanted peace. 

During the period of understanding and mental re- 
covery (which took in another six months of hard study 
and many self denials) I learned to hear voices, to see lights 
and to discern between vibrations, and I became greatly 
changed in my way of thinking, having lost my materialistic 
ideas. The teaching I received from the Other World is 
spirituelle, but quite different from the theological view. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP I4I 

hence the only thing about my experiences an orthodox 
clergy can claim is that "Devils believe and tremble'' ; but 
my Guidances neither 'believe nor tremble' because they 
"KNOW" and knowing they preach Christ, not the Christ 
of Creeds, but "THE LIVING CHRIST TAUGHT BY 
ST. PAUL." 

The rest of my developments and experiences, while 
interesting to Research Workers, are of no moment here, 
their results are contained in my book on the Psychology 
of Mediumship to which the foregoing personal experi- 
ences were added on request of some of my friends. 

Studying the contents of my diary, of which the fore- 
going experiences are but a small part, and which do not 
take in my personal studies of mediums I came in contact 
with, nor my personal experiences with 'Elementary Forces' 
and their tactics in making a contact as well as the (in 
most all cases) disastrous consequences experienced by 
some foolish people, I can say honestly that — while my 
own development was not free from foolish and sensual 
suggestions — I soon found that the various temptations 
and tribulations are chiefly the result of our own mental 
condition, which is but that of the soul made of the dust 
of the ground. Knowing this, I learned to appreciate St. 
Paul, who said : "There hath no temptation taken you but 
such as is common to man . . ." (I Cor., ch. x, v. 13. J 
I can say honestly also that while I have come often in 
contact with sinister forces during my investigations, both 
in regard to mediums as well as in regard to people who 
were in the stages of development, I have never found these 
forces to be the kind of "Devils" our dogmatic clergy claims 
to exist, in fact I have positive direct proof such "Fallen 
Angels" do not exist anywhere else but in the dogmatically 
despoiled mind. 



14-2 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MEDIUMSHIP 

The book as published in its prese:;; form is a Manual, 
a Key to the better understanding of Spiritualism, the con- 
tents of which will prove themselves true to all honest in- 
vestigators, hence it is at the same time a challenge to all 
who discredit the true phenomenon and to the dogmatic- 
materialistic theologians, who should study the phenomenon 
:: learn the truth that they may understand St. Paul, who 
said: "Follow after Charity and desire Spiritual Gifts. 
but rather that ye may 'Prophesy'." (I Cor., ch. 14, v. 1.) 



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